A Taste of Magic
by Jane Owen
Summary: Once you've tasted magic, how can you live without it? 30 year old Sarah is drifting through life, until a chance encounter revives her soul. Now, to stay alive, Sarah must place herself within Jareth's power...but at what cost? Jareth X Sarah
1. Chapter 1

**No Regrets**

It had been 15 years since that night in the Labyrinth, yet Sarah hadn't forgotten. Some might have chalked such a crazy night up to a dream—_she_ had when she'd awoken from her peach-induced slumber to her pretend room in the garbage dump—but dreams don't leave white owl feathers on your window sill for you to find the next morning. Unfortunately, like all great adventures, it had to come to an end and Sarah had to move on. She often wondered if this was how soldiers felt when they returned home from the battlefield; like all the color had drained from life, leaving merely shades of gray and beige to wade through in slow motion.

She would never regret leaving the Underground—Toby was more important than any Kingdom or adventure. One of the many lessons she had gleaned from that night was that family came before all else. She would do anything for her family, even if it made her miserable.

Shortly after her run through the Labyrinth, Sarah had stopped calling on her friends through the mirror. It wasn't that she suddenly stopped needing them, but rather, she had become dependent upon them. Every visit left her more and more listless upon their hasty exits. Her family had actually set up an intervention—worried she'd begun experimenting with snorting coke like the actors in all the movies. Sarah had laughed inwardly at their naivety and assured them that they were allowing their imagination to run wild, but their concern had caused her to really examine her life. Reluctantly she realized they might have had a point. She was withdrawn. She had no relationships outside her "imaginary" friends. She couldn't sleep. She rarely ate anything substantial. She was a walking, talking shell of a girl.

Ironically it was one of those after school TV specials that showed her what she had become. She had been daydreaming about asking Hoggle to allow her to visit "just one more time" when the teenage boy on the TV echoed her thoughts: "_Hey man, just one more hit_." She knew then she had a problem. She had become an Underground junkie. Her friends were her drug. She could no longer be _alive_ without their company. So, for the sake of her family, she cut them off cold turkey.

Unfortunately it didn't solve her problems. There were no 12-step programs for healing from goblin addiction. Without something to replace the void, she simply stopped caring about life in general. It was only on stage (when she pretended to have emotion) that she ever felt even close to alive. Acting became her new driving force.

She still didn't have relationships. She still didn't eat well. She still lay awake at nights replaying her adventures. But she was able to hide it. She honed her acting skills to the point where she was able to fool her family. She did truly love them—now more than ever. She didn't want to hurt them.

But once you've tasted magic, how can you live without it?

**)))(((**

"Hey, Sar. Do you have anything from your past that you regret?" Sarah's roommate, Julie, sat at their kitchen table, lacquering on toe nail polish. The shade was called, 'Seduction" and Sarah had never seen a red quite that drastic before. It fit Julie like a glove. Julie gave the tag "Drama Queen" a whole new meaning.

Sarah kept her expression neutral—no need to traipse down memory lane. It could land her in a mental institution. "What do you mean?"

"You know…regrets. I was just thinking back to my prom date. He asked me if he could kiss me before the night was over. Me being the prude I was at the time answered, 'no.' He'd caught me off-guard, you know, _asking_ me. Men shouldn't ask, they should just _do_ it. That's what I thought back then, but now I think how sweet it was. He must have really liked me to ask. And I can't help but wonder if I broke his poor heart. He was a nice guy. What if I'd kissed him and found out he was 'the one'? Then I wouldn't be sitting here at 30 with no men and no chance at a marriage proposal before I turn 31—officially an old maid." Julie shoved the wand back into the bottle with a little more force than was required.

Marriage—it was all Julie talked about. Sarah had long ago stopped thinking of marriage. She could pretend easily enough to be in love on stage, but she would never doom some poor sap to a lifetime of a loveless marriage. She just couldn't summon up that emotion. Of course every time Julie brought up marriage, Sarah's mind flew back to the broken room where she'd been cornered by a king. He'd come swathed in white as if flying in the clouds, but he was no angel.

She had long ago determined that the Goblin King had _not_ been interested in her romantically. He was simply…sensual by nature. That speech at the end hadn't been a proposal, but a request for her to become one of his citizens, perhaps a higher up servant—someone who would be paid by having their dreams come true, but would still be at the whim of the dream granter. Who knew what exactly he was offering her, but it wasn't marriage. After all, who in their right mind would ask a fifteen year old girl to marry him—and use terms like "let me rule you" and "fear me" when declaring his love? No, he had not been proposing. Despite that certainty, his image still came to the forefront every time she heard the word _marriage_.

"No, Julie. No regrets in that respect," Sarah replied, shoving the last of the dishes up into their cabinet. She grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and sat in the empty seat across from her roommate, preparing to read the day's paper. Julie didn't get the hint.

"It's just that it is so _hard_ to find a good man nowadays. It's so true what they say; all the good ones _are_ taken. Why don't you care? Are you just going to remain single your whole life?"

Sarah put the paper down with a sigh. Who cared if there was a murderer on the loose—Julie couldn't get a date! "I don't know Julie. I just haven't found anyone that I could imagine spending the rest of my life with. Why is it so important anyway? It's not like having a man equals happiness. Look at my mom. She had an adoring husband and left him for a younger model. I just can't believe in happily ever after anymore."

Julie rolled her eyes. "Geez, Sar! You're such a downer." Suddenly her eyes lit up and Sarah's stomach began to clench—she knew that look. "I know what you need! Come to the concert with me tonight! Suz backed out on me at the last minute and you really need to get out of the house. Please? There's no one else and you know it's not good for my image to be seen as a loner." Drama Queen strikes again. Like Sarah, Julie was an aspiring actress, but unlike Sarah, Julie seemed to think she had a "public" watching her every move.

Sarah tried her best not to groan out loud as she mentally rifled through all her best excuses. She was coming up blank when the echoing sound of 3 different phones began ringing. Sarah grabbed the antique receiver off the kitchen wall—they could never find the other two cordless handsets—silently thanking anyone who would listen for a chance to hone her excuse. There was no way she was going to another one of Julie's concerts with its obnoxious bands and sweaty guys who "accidentally" bumped into anyone with breasts, trying to pretend they were really into the music, but actually seeking out any opportunity to grope some poor, unsuspecting girl. If Julie was really looking for a husband, she was searching in all the wrong places!

"Hello," she answered as she inwardly tossed around, _'I have a headache.'_ It was probably her best shot—the truth always goes over well.

Sarah's headache intensified with the voice on the other end. "_Sarah? Hi Honey! How are you?_" The standard greeting carried far more than casual curiosity when spoken by her step-mother. It was a large part of the reason Sarah moved away from home at the age of 18 despite attending the college less than 5 miles away. Her family had never quite believed her portrayal of a typical American teenager—she apparently wasn't _that_ great of an actress. They probably still thought she did drugs. It was better to move away so that they didn't have to worry about her constantly.

"Hi, Karen. I'm fine. How are you?"

"_Doing well, Sweetie. Just checking in to see how things are going with you. Have you done anything interesting lately?"_

And there it was: the not-so-subtle hint that there _should_ be something interesting going on. After all, what 30 year old woman didn't go out on dates? Sarah.

The quickest way to change the subject was to ask about the only subject that still brought her some measure of joy: Toby. "Not much. So…how's Toby doing? Is he there? Can I speak with him?" Ever since Toby got his driver's license a little over a year ago, he wasn't home often. Sarah really missed hearing his little voice—that was no longer so little.

She could almost hear Karen shaking her head over the phone. "_He's doing well. Sorry you can't talk to him, but he's out on the town with a group of friends. Not sure where. It is so hard to keep track of that boy nowadays. When did you two grow up? And when am I going to get grandbabies so I can watch _them_ grow up too fast?" _Great. The grandbaby speech. It was time to get out of here.

Closing her eyes, she said the only thing that she knew would get her off the phone right away. "Sorry, Karen, but I just remembered I'm heading to a concert with Julie. Got to run! Tell Daddy I love him! Bye!" And she hung up the phone before Karen could respond.

Sarah slowly turned her head to face her roommate, hoping she hadn't heard the tail end of the conversation. By the look on her face, she most definitely had. Practically squealing in delight, Julie made her way to her bedroom to change.

Eying her discarded newspaper on the table, Sarah sighed. "So much for a quiet evening at home."

**)))(((**

"Oh yeah, Julie, this is just _great_!" Sarah yelled into her roommate's ear. The cover band hadn't even come on stage yet and it was already too noisy to speak at a normal level. When they'd arrived, Julie immediately dragged Sarah to the front row, standing room only. Prime groping territory. It wasn't long before men with greasy hands and liquored breath began faux dancing next to them.

It was going to be a long night.

Julie was either completely oblivious to sarcasm, or chose to ignore it for her own purposes. "Isn't it?" she yelled back. "What do you think about that guy over there? He looks nice." The guy she pointed to was handsome enough with dark brown hair and chiseled cheeks, but he obviously knew it by the way he chose to dance between two other females. Was Julie that hopeless?

Yes. Yes she was.

"Julie, think about it. He _knows_ he's hot. He's probably not a nice guy. Let a man come to you for a change. You're an actress for Pete's sake! _Act_ like every man here desires you instead of acting like Desperate Debbie."

Julie nodded and changed tactics, swaying her hips more to the music and giving a sultry, yet distant smile whenever an attractive male caught her eye. Why she listened to Sarah's council, she had no idea. After all, it's not like Sarah was bringing home men right and left. In fact, she hadn't brought home _any_ man since they'd lived together.

A few minutes later, the cover band came on stage and Sarah forgot all about her roommate. The drummer came out first, his long, black hair blowing haphazardly around his broad shoulders and well-developed biceps as he moved to sit behind the drum set. He had a dangerous gleam in his eye and looked for all intents and purposes like he'd just stepped out of Rolling Stone magazine. As he sat, a man came in on his right who was perhaps the prettiest man Sarah had ever seen. Masculine, yet with delicate features, the guitar player looked like a cherub on steroids. Opposite him was a keyboardist with white-blond hair cut close to his scalp, his ice blue eyes easily seen from a distance. All three of them carried a charisma that exuded sexiness, and as if drawn by an invisible magnet, women began flocking to the front row. Sarah had to hold on to the stage to keep from being shoved down. When she looked up again, the lead singer had appeared and Sarah was certain she must be seeing things.

The lead singer was Toby.

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**A/N** – Okay, for all of you who read my other story, "Within You" and got the alert for this one, I am still planning on a sequel –and have some chapters completed there—but this story came to me and demanded to be written so I hope you will forgive me for skipping the sequel temporarily. I will tell you that I have no idea how long this story will be, nor exactly where it is taking me. You are fully warned that it is not completed (even in my head). Jareth tends to take me on waltzing turns down strange trails whenever he gets a chance. That being said, once I start something, I usually do my best to complete it, so hopefully this will get regular updates. (That's the plan anyway). I do have one more chapter completed that I will probably post tomorrow, and the start of the 3rd chapter.

Side note: When I started writing this, I really hadn't anticipated Toby being in it at all—he's not my favorite character. That said, he wrote himself in and it will become plain as to why fairly soon…I think.

Thank you all for reading this! And since you've already come this far I shall now ask you to "please leave a contribution in the box."


	2. Chapter 2

**Falling Down**

"Hey, All. Just wanted to thank you for coming out and listening to us tonight. Welcome to _The Underground!_"

The music started immediately and Sarah recognized its style as progressive metal mixed in with a bit of techno—more on the classical side, but definitely metal. It certainly wasn't what she was expecting. Bodies around her began pulsing to the music, but all Sarah could do was stare. It was her baby brother, yet he looked so different and _sounded_ so…magical. His normally close-cropped hair and grown some since she'd seen him last Christmas. It now stuck out in wild tufts, still short enough to stand straight out without wilting from the weight. He wore tight black jeans and a loose fitting shirt, unbuttoned with a tank top beneath. He looked older, more mature—certainly not the baby of her memories any more. She couldn't believe it had been so long since she'd last been to her parent's home less than a 20 minute drive away. Time had long ago lost all meaning to her, but she felt bad that she'd missed so many changes. In 6 months, Toby had turned from a gawky teenager into a mature young man complete with a six-pack that was easily seen through his shirt. And the girls loved him.

She was so absorbed in her own little world that she almost jumped into the person next to her when Julie yelled into her ear, "Sarah! What's wrong with you? Even _you_ aren't normally _this_ stoic. Lighten up!"

Sarah took a deep breath and explained as best she could over the noise of the band and the off-key drunk singing next to her. "That's my baby brother. I didn't even know he sang. It just caught me a bit off guard."

"Tobias Williams is your brother? How is it possible that you were not aware of _The Underground_? They're the hottest new band of the year!"

Sarah shrugged and tried to allow herself to forget it was her brother on stage. She would definitely talk to him about this later! Her only consolation was that it appeared her parents didn't know about his after school activities any more than she did. Shouldn't they be more concerned about the amount of late nights he spent away from home?

The first song took some getting used to for Sarah—she typically liked mellower music—but once she got over the initial shock and allowed herself to really listen to it, she found that she enjoyed it. Arnold Schwarzen-cherub was extremely talented on the guitar, weaving melodies within melodies that she had yet to explore fully. Toby had a smooth baritone voice that was mesmerizing and the guy on keyboard filled in a nice harmony on the chorus.

By the second song, Sarah was swaying with the crowd, feeling more alive than she had in years. She didn't even notice the sudden space that opened up around her as a presence appeared behind her, moving with Sarah in time to the music, but not quite touching her. All she felt was _freedom_. It was as if Toby's music and erased a weight that she hadn't even known had been crushing her. Her eyes closed, a smile gracing her lips and for a brief time the beautiful girl who had defeated a king inhabited her body once more.

When Toby's third song started, she was so caught up with the musical interlude being played by the guitar and keyboard that she almost didn't hear the words. "There's such a sad love, deep in your eyes. A kind of pale jewel.." In an instant, the weight returned and it took all of Sarah's will-power not to rush up on stage and shake her little brother. Where had he heard those words? The melody was different, the style was different, but it was _his_ song…_his_ words.

Sarah stood immobilized as Toby sang his way through the chorus, "Falling in love as the world falls down." And Sarah felt another emotion welling within her. Anger. She was livid at the Goblin King for manipulating a young girl's emotions in order to win a game, and to a lesser extent, angry at Toby. She had devoted her life to keeping him from _that_ world. She had given up her only true friends and lived a half-life so that he would never have to know the painful truth—that in a moment of utter selfishness, Sarah Williams had chosen to hand her helpless baby brother over to _goblins_ rather than listen to him cry for one more second. It was all for naught. She'd suffered for years for her family and it was pointless.

Somehow he'd learned of the Labyrinth.

The spell broken, Sarah started pushing her way through the crowd over to the side of the stage where Toby would be exiting. She needed to speak with him immediately. She needed answers.

She'd almost forgotten about Julie when her friend began tugging on her arm. "Sarah! Where are you going? They're not finished playing.." Julie stopped midsentence as the force of Sarah's glare was turned on her. Having never seen such passion on Sarah's face off stage, she was completely caught off guard.

"Julie, I am waiting for my brother. You can come or you can stay. I probably won't wait around for _Element_ to play. I'll find my own way home." Without an apology of any sort, Sarah turned and continued her trek to the side exit. She knew Julie would stay; _Element_ was her favorite band.

"But Sarah! What about the guy?" she asked, grabbing Sarah's sleeve and pulling her back again.

Sarah allowed herself to be pulled to a stop. She hadn't noticed anyone around her, which could be dangerous—there was that murderer on the loose after all. She really should pay more attention to her surroundings. "What guy?"

"The _hot_ guy dancing with you! I've never seen anyone like him before. You should at least get his number!"

Sarah jerked her sleeve away. Wasn't Julie too old to be acting this boy crazy? She turned back around, yelling over her shoulder, "You can have him!"

It was harder than she thought it would be to get through the crowd. Apparently she wasn't the only one interested in seeing _Tobias_. When she finally made it to the guard, he gathered himself up to his full height, folded his arms and tried to make himself look intimidating. In the mood she was in, the Goblin King himself wouldn't intimidate her.

"I need to get through. Toby is my brother. I need to speak with him."

The guard with the little man syndrome chuckled. "That's what they all say, girlie. No one is admitted back stage without a pass."

She glared at him. "Look. _Tobias Williams_ is my brother. Will you please just tell him that Sarah Williams is looking for him?" As the last words exited her mouth, she could hear the band wrapping up—they were only the opening act after all. She gave the guard a meaningful look. "Please?"

Something about her expression must have touched him because he flipped a switch on his walkie talkie. "Fine." And then into the headset he said, "Hey, Roger. Do you mind askin' Tobias if he is expecting a Sarah Williams?" The man on the other end said something that made the guard glare at Sarah. "Yeah, I know. Just do it, okay?" He nodded to himself and flipped the switch again. Then he went back to staring straight ahead, ignoring Sarah completely.

Less than a minute later, Sarah was being escorted backstage. Apparently when Tobias wanted something, it happened. When did he become such a big shot?

"Sarah!"

Sarah turned to find Toby actually running to her. He looked so nervous. This was not the confident lead singer from on stage, this was Sarah's baby brother and immediately her anger melted. He still needed her protection.

"Sarah! You saw my show! What did you think?" Toby chewed on his lower lip and Sarah smiled.

"It was great Toby. Really. I'm very proud of you! I had no idea you were so talented! Do Dad and Karen know about this?"

Toby folded his hands behind his back and brushed the floor with his left toe in classic '_I'm in trouble_' mode. "I haven't really gotten around to mentioning it yet. They've met the guys, but everything just happened so quickly! We put a song out on the local college station a few months ago just to see if they'd play it. All of a sudden we were getting gigs at local night clubs and every once in a while we'll hear our song on one of the main stations. We couldn't believe it when _Element—__**El. E. MENT!**_—asked us to open for them tonight! It was a last minute thing too! Apparently their normal opening act got food poisoning this afternoon and there was no one else. I couldn't _believe_ how many people were out there!"

Toby's eyes lit with excitement. Sarah had never before heard him say so many words at one time. She grinned. "_I_ couldn't believe it was _my_ baby brother up there! You guys all sounded so good. You looked like someone out of a music video. All the girls around me were drooling." She couldn't imagine Toby being more excited than he already was, but that bit of information shot him over the edge. He was smiling so wide that she feared his teeth would fall out.

But Sarah needed to know what he knew about the Labyrinth. Fighting the urge to shuffle her feet, Sarah asked nonchalantly, "So…was one of the songs you were playing _the_ song? You know, the one on the radio?" She kept a straight face as she inwardly screamed, _'please don't let it be his song, please don't let it be his song…'_

"Yeah. The first one. What'd you think?"

Sarah's eyebrows shot up. "The first one? What about the one about the world falling down?" At the strange look Toby sent her, Sarah tried to calm it down a few notches. "I mean, the first song was good too, but I especially liked the falling down song. Did you come up with that on your own?" _'cool, Sarah. Stay cool…'_

"Well, I…" Toby began, but he was interrupted by his band mates slapping him on the back. Until that moment they'd been hanging back near the refreshment table. They had impeccable timing; showing up just when Sarah was about to get the information she wanted.

"Hey, Tobes, who's your friend?" It was Arnold Swarzen-cherub that spoke, his eyes were definitely not angelic as he unabashedly scanned her from head to toe.

Sarah's chin rose in automatic defiance of his appraisal as she responded, "I am Toby's _older_ sister, Sarah. And who might you be?"

The guitarist burst into laughter. "Oh…she's got spunk! You should bring her around more often!" Apparently only Swarzen-cherub could speak. The other two studied her coolly, as if waiting for her to attack them or something.

Toby finally came to her aid. "Hey guys, this is my _sister_, Sarah—like she said. Sarah, these are the guys: Marcus, Nathaniel, and Gabriel." He pointed to the drummer first, then the keyboardist. Ironically enough, Gabriel was the cherubic guitar player.

As he introduced them, Sarah took the opportunity to study them a little closer. There was something not quite normal about these guys. She couldn't call them teenagers or men—it was impossible to put an age to them. And they were attractive—gorgeous even—their looks went far beyond those of a traditional male model. She had noticed it when they were on stage, but up close they all had a similar appearance, despite being completely different in hair and eye color. It was something about the shape of their eyes or the angles of their jaws... Sarah couldn't quite put her finger on it. "How old are you?" She blurted out. She was only a little embarrassed by her outburst. After all, these guys were taking her baby brother around to night clubs and who knows where else. She wanted to know as much about them as possible.

"They look mature, don't they? They get that all the time!" Toby said, obviously pleased with his friends' ability to pass for "adults".

The drummer, Marcus, answered for the group. "I'm the oldest. I'm not quite 25. Nathaniel is around 23, and Gabriel is in his very early twenties." His voice was deep and melodic and Sarah was almost distracted enough not to notice his ambiguity. Though he hadn't stated any of their ages definitively, Sarah decided to let it slide. Now that the introductions were complete, she wanted to get back to her questions.

"So, Toby. You were about to tell me where you came up with that falling down song." Sarah pointedly did not look at the other band members; the way they stared at her was a little too intense. It made her feel invaded.

Toby looked over to Nathaniel and Sarah noticed the silent communication between them. Before he had a chance to make an excuse, Sarah had an idea. "Hey, Toby. Why don't we head over to Starbucks, just the two of us? We can get caught up a little. You'll have to drive though—my ride is sticking around for the after show."

Toby's face fell. "I would, Sarah, but I didn't drive today—Marcus did. If you want a ride home though, I'm sure we have room in our van. Right, guys?"

They all gave Sarah a look that spoke volumes, but Marcus spoke up—looking directly at her, "Sure, Sarah. Please let us escort you home."

.

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**A/N:** Okay…not going to say much—that's what the review box is for :-D. I did want to say a quick thank you to those of you who reviewed the 1st chapter. Especially **startraveller776 **for being gracious enough to be the first reviewer. If you get a chance, review her stuff—she has some great Labyrinth pieces! I would also like to thank **LadyCavalier** for stopping by. I hope you were equally intrigued by the 2nd chapter :-D. And **notwritten **thank you again for being such a faithful reviewer!

Now everyone else…please review! :-D


	3. Chapter 3

**In a Fog**

The band had to pack up early in order to get Toby home before curfew so they were unable to stay and watch _Element_, which was perfectly fine with Sarah. She helped them load their equipment up in the van—one of those large white delivery vans without windows in the back—not creepy at all. She had attempted to get Toby alone a few more times before they left, but they were always interrupted by one of the other bandmates. It was obviously not a coincidence, but Sarah couldn't figure out what they were trying to hide.

The ride back to her apartment was tense. In an attempt to be "gentlemanly", the band members forced Sarah to sit up front with Marcus, cutting off her remaining opportunity to have a semblance of alone time with her brother. She wasn't about to let that stop her. She tried a new tactic.

While Nathaniel, Gabriel and Toby joked around in the back of the van, Sarah angled herself in the uncomfortable, worn-out leather seat so that she could face the driver. He had pulled his long, black hair into a sleek ponytail at the nape of his neck and several tendrils were blowing about his face as the cool night wind gusted through the driver's-side window. Putting on her best, '_I'm an actress, I can pretend to flirt'_ smile, Sarah asked "So, Marcus…as the oldest, do you write most of the songs? The lyrics are phenomenal."

Marcus smiled back, still facing the road, eager to talk about his talents. "We work on them together. Usually I take the lyrics and set the rhythm and the others just fill in from there. Often the words just come to us as we're messin' around."

"Well, you're definitely talented!" He grinned, obviously enjoying the stroking of his ego. Sensing that the tension between them had ebbed a bit, Sarah went ahead and asked what she really wanted to know. "How did you guys come up with the song about the world falling down?" If Toby wasn't supposed to tell her for some reason, perhaps she could get Marcus to speak.

Sarah watched his jaw clench in frustration at the question. Coming to a stop sign only a couple of miles from her home, Marcus pulled his gaze from the road to search out Sarah's face. His obsidian eyes glinted in the moonlight as he responded. "You don't want to know."

What was that supposed to mean?

Marcus faced forward once more as the van picked up speed and Sarah's smile faded. "Yes, I _do_ want to know." She'd spoken a little louder than she'd intended and suddenly all eyes were on her. Immediately her internal warning bells went off: _'Stay cool, Sarah…stay cool!'_ She cleared her throat. "I mean, it is such a unique song."

The van went silent—even Toby seemed afraid to say anything. What _was_ this? Did they make a deal with the devil or something? Why did they refuse to answer her question? Throwing up her hands in frustration, Sarah practically yelled, "What's the big deal? Why won't you just tell me?" Her voice rang out in the silence, shocking her more than anyone. It had been years since she had felt passionate enough about anything to fight for it.

They slowly drove down her street, Sarah pointing to her house when they got close. Marcus pulled into the driveway and turned the engine off. He shifted so he could see his bandmates behind him. Whatever he saw in their faces gave him courage to go forward. "As you have guessed, we did not write the words. However, the person who gave us the song insisted that we not reveal their identity—specifically that we would not reveal it to you."

Sarah blanched. There would be only one person who would specifically want to keep that from Sarah. She swallowed, trying to force the lump of fear back down her throat so she could speak. "Did…_this person_…say why you shouldn't tell me?" This time she turned around to look directly at Toby. What she saw in his face encouraged her—he didn't look angry at her, only worried that she would be angry at him. Maybe he didn't know what she'd done.

Toby glanced at Marcus before speaking. "No. H…_the person_ just showed up during practice a few days ago and handed us the lyrics. Marcus immediately determined the rhythm and the rest magically fell into place. We had no idea at the time that we'd be singing at the concert, but it was a good thing we got it when we did since two original songs sound better than a bunch of cover songs." He was trying to lighten the mood; to force the conversation back to their music and off of the Goblin King. Sarah wasn't biting.

"So how did _he_ happen to mention that you shouldn't tell _me_ in particular—the sister you rarely see—that you shouldn't say where you got the lyrics?"

Marcus adeptly leaned over and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Sarah, it has been fun, but Toby must get home. Good night." It was a clear dismissal.

Sarah bristled. "Fine. Don't tell me. But I am not finished with this. Toby, I _will_ see you soon." And with that, she exited the scary kidnapper van and slammed the door. Marcus didn't wait for her to get to her door before starting the vehicle back up. They pulled out of her driveway the moment she stepped inside.

Her newfound passion fled with them.

Once she'd gotten in her house, Sarah began to brainstorm ways to get Toby to talk. She wanted to know exactly what the Goblin King had said to her brother and why he wanted to keep his visit a secret from her. He had to know that Sarah would hear the song eventually. So the question was, did he give the song to Toby _for_ her to hear it or was Toby the intended victim of one of his schemes and he didn't want Sarah getting in the way? Logically it seemed the second reason was the most valid—if he'd given Toby the song with Sarah in mind, then why the secrecy? She started making plans to visit her family for dinner over the weekend, but a half hour later she was curled up in her bed sound asleep.

**)))(((**

She awoke the following day to Julie pounding on her bedroom door. "Sarah! Wake up! It's after noon! You're going to be late for rehearsal! Wake up!"

Sarah only had a brief moment of surprise that she's slept for almost 14 hours before dragging herself out of bed and to the shower. Her mind was in a fog, her body going through the motions without any thought. When she got out, she pulled on whatever was closest to wear, not even bothering to see if it was turned the correct side out or not. She ran a brush through her long, almost-black hair and headed to the kitchen without looking in a mirror.

Julie was waiting. "Sarah, what happened to you last night? Why'd you take off like that?"

Sarah shrugged and grabbed a cup of coffee to clear her head.

"That's it? That's all the explanation you're going to give me?" Julie sounded almost betrayed. Sarah wouldn't have thought it was in her.

"Look, Julie. Something Toby sang upset me and I needed to talk to him about it. His band gave me a ride home and I fell asleep shortly after. Not much to say."

Julie gaped, her mouth opening and closing a few times in indignation before she could finally force some sound out. "_Not much to say? _You _left_ me, Sarah! I thought you were my friend! You can't give me more of an explanation than that?"

Sarah shrugged again and stared down into her coffee. Did she brush her teeth? She couldn't remember.

"Are you all right?" Julie searched her face with concern, the anger from moments before melting away. "You don't look like yourself. Are you sick or something? Did something happen to you that you want to talk about? What's going on?"

The barrage of questions drifted away the moment Julie spoke them. Sarah did not have the concentration to truly absorb them, nor the energy to try. "I better get going to rehearsal. I'll see you later." And with that she left a stunned Julie behind.

**)))(((**

"_Sarah! What's with you today? We're halfway down on page 54. Start with, 'It's time to pay up.'"_

Sarah heard George speaking, but it was difficult to focus on what exactly her director was saying. She took a deep breath and looked down at her book. She was on page 43. She quickly flipped over to the correct page, but couldn't remember where they were starting.

Leaning over to her co-star, Jonathon, Sarah whispered, "What line are we on again?"

"That's it!" George cried out from where he sat in the auditorium. "Sarah, I don't know what's come over you, but you have exactly two days to fix it or Michelle is taking your place! Got it?" Sarah nodded and promptly left the stage without saying a word. George didn't like excuses and she didn't have one anyway. It was a mark of how much he liked her that he gave her two days. He would never have given Julie even a day to get her act together. George had been her director for several productions and she hated letting him down. She would figure this out. Somehow.

As she made her way out the stage door, she could hear the other cast members begin practicing the scenes that "Shyann" wasn't in. It made her sick that she couldn't concentrate enough to even _pretend_ to be normal. Acting was what kept her sane. What was she going to do now?

She couldn't find it within herself to care.

**)))(((**

A bright light shone through Sarah's eyelids and she hid her face under her covers.

"Sarah?" Julie's voice was very worried. "Sarah? Are you okay? I made dinner for us. Are you hungry?"

Sarah moaned and buried herself deeper under her pillows.

Her roommate was not accepting defeat that easily. Unveiling Sarah's face, Julie asked, "Hey! Are you sick or something? You've been in bed all day!"

Sarah blinked away the onslaught of stimulation. "I don't know. I just want to sleep. Leave me alone." She grabbed the blankets and pulled them back over her. She could sense Julie standing there, but it didn't really matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

Eventually Julie turned out the light. As she closed the door, she whispered, "What's happening to you?"

Sarah rolled over, covered her eyes and in a weak voice, spoke her answer to the door, "I wish I _knew_ what was happening to me."

.

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**A/N**: Hmmm….did Sarah just make a wish? She did! She did! I can't wait to see what happens next! (Really…I haven't written the next chapter at all yet!)

I hope you liked this. Angsty writing is not really my thing, but it was important to the plot. Thanks for sticking through the chapter with me!

**LadyCavalier** you are now my new favorite person with your "original" remark :-D. Thank you for your kind review! And **startraveller776**, once again thank you for being the first to review the chapter. You're fantastic! Oh and look! I just found out this story got added to the **"All those stories I love**" community. Now everyone go check that community out because of course she has great taste! :-D

Now…to everyone else out there who is reading this—I know you're there, I see your hits! :-D—I have a request for you. **I thought it might be fun if you gave me a bit of a challenge**. If you want, throw out a suggestion of something to put in my story—a word or a sentence—and I will do my best to put it in somewhere in the next two chapters (and make it make sense!). If I manage it, you owe me a review on that chapter…if not, I will review a chapter of anything you want. Now granted, if I get a lot of challenges, I might need to make this story longer :-D—but that's okay! Randomness is fine!

(To be clear, this is not a "choose your own adventure"…I know where I'm going with this…I just wanted to make things more interesting for you all…if you want it)

**And for those who aren't up for challenges, but have read along this far…stop in and say, "hi!"…I love a good old fashioned hello :-D.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Not a Genie**

A warm, summer breeze blew across Sarah's face and she mentally cursed herself for leaving the window open. She grabbed for her blanket…and kept reaching. Her covers were gone. "Damn! Where'd they go?" Realizing she must have kicked them off sometime during the night, she rolled over on her stomach and began reaching blindly through the dark, feeling for the missing comforter. She needed to get back to sleep to somehow get over whatever was causing this temporary insanity—although for the first time all day she actually felt rested. She glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. 12:01. Great. She probably wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep now!

She began muttering under her breath as she searched. "Stupid blankets! Sleep all day and then can't sleep when I want to sleep. I bet I have Mono. I bet that's it. That explains it. But it's the kissing disease, isn't it? Then I can't have Mono. Did I even share a drink with anyone lately? Jonathon coughed on me the other day, maybe he gave it to me. Can you die from Mono?"

"Come, come, Sarah. Why the concern?"

Sarah shot out of bed quicker than if it were made of hot coals. Fumbling with the lamp, she almost knocked it off the nightstand twice before she finally found the switch and twisted. A man was leaning against the foot of her bed. But not just any man. It was _him_, the Goblin King, in all his Kingly glory. For once, Sarah was glad she hadn't had the energy to do more than take off her shoes before falling asleep. She grabbed her pillow and held it across her chest for some protection from his gaze anyway.

"What are you doing here?" she stammered. A part of her wondered if she should be trembling in fear at the sight of her old nemesis standing in her bedroom, but she just couldn't summon the emotion; and for once it had nothing to do with a lack of passion. She had plenty of emotions surging through her body—most of which were inappropriate for multiple reasons—causing her face to become quite flushed.

"What? No _hello_ for an old friend?" He cocked his head to one side as he spoke, reminiscent of the bird of prey he'd turned into the last time he'd been in her presence.

He shouldn't be allowed to be here. She'd defeated him! Wasn't there a rule or something? "What are you doing here?" she asked again, more forcefully.

He folded his arms over his chest and smirked, steamrolling over her question as if she hadn't spoken. "I hope you will forgive the rude awakening, however I hate being made to wait once I've been called upon. I will admit that I had hoped to find you a little more _appropriately_ dressed in evening attire, but you look lovely as always." At his appraisal of her, Sarah's blush increased, but she merely raised an eyebrow in a silent repeat of her question.

The Lord of the Goblins allowed his smirk to vanish as he explained. "You made a wish, Sarah. Though I am not a genie, I _am _bound by the rules of the Labyrinth to respond to wishes when they regard me and my subjects."

Sara stared at him in utter confusion. "I didn't wish for the goblins to take anyone away…or at least, if I did, I wasn't in my right mind at the time. Who did I wish away?"

He frowned. "Sarah, you're dying."

"What? Why would you say that?" She fought to keep her voice under control; scared that Julie would hear and come in to investigate, especially given her recent semi-conscious state. It was difficult. The man jumped from one conversation to the next without connecting the dots. Very frustrating.

The Goblin King repeated himself. "You are dying. You wished that you would be able to know what was happening to you. Well that is it. Don't worry though. All mortals go through it at one time or another."

Oh. That was a comforting thought. "Well, if that's what is happening to me, thanks for stopping by. You can leave now." Surprisingly she wasn't concerned by his diagnosis. He wasn't a doctor after all. What bothered her the most was that he came to her room—at midnight—to say it.

The right side of his mouth quirked up in a semi-smile; a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "No, I'm afraid I cannot. Aren't you even the least bit curious how your death has anything to do with _my_ Labyrinth?"

She looked him straight in the eyes, "It doesn't."

"Oh yes it does, my dear girl," he practically snarled back at her. Sarah instinctively leaned away from the venom in his tone as if physically struck. The king took a deep breath and when he spoke again, his voice had returned to its normal bewitching timbre. "Sarah. How are you _feeling_? Right now?"

Again with the random questions. "I'm feeling fine."

Straightening away from the bed, he allowed his eyes to trace the outline of her body in the harsh lighting of her lamp as he took a step toward her. "And _what_ exactly are you feeling?" Her pillow might as well have been invisible for the way he seemed to see right through it.

Sarah had long ago stopped trying to figure out what she felt toward the infamous Goblin King. He was an enigma. He had taken her brother, but she had asked him to do it. He had played many evil tricks on her, but he had never actually hurt her. He'd danced with her and sung words of love, yet told her to fear him. She knew she didn't love the guy—she wasn't even sure she _liked_ him—but when he looked at her with those predatory eyes, her internal temperature spiked, melting her muscles so that it took all her effort to remain upright.

Lust was such a powerful emotion.

And there he was, standing in her bedroom, commanding the very air to bow down to him just by his overwhelming presence. He wore the same dark-as-midnight attire he'd dressed in the first time she'd met him and even when he was stationary, the fabric billowed out behind him as if a wind followed him wherever he stood. She took in his hair, wild as always, and fought the urge to smooth away the stray strands that flowed over the high pointed collar on his cape. Her eyes followed his angled jaw line to his muscular neck till it dipped into a slight V under the strange pendant he wore. Her gaze drifted lower down his silk shirt to where it hung haphazardly over his...she stopped herself. Not the pants! That little (large) detail would be her undoing. She forced her eyes back up to his face and his knowing smile returned. Sarah raised her chin and glared at him. "I'm _feeling_ like slapping you if you don't stop leering at me," she finally answered.

The Goblin King laughed outright at that. After a moment, he continued. "But you _are_ feeling something, aren't you?" he practically cooed.

"Yes…" she hesitated. "I haven't been myself all day, but I'm feeling great now. Better than I've felt in years. The flu bug must have washed out of my system."

"It was no _flu bug_, Sarah. You've tasted magic. The withdrawal will only get worse from here on out."

She hated that nothing he said ever made sense. "Withdrawal? What are you talking about? It's been 15 years since I was in the Labyrinth. Surely I'm over its effects by now." She'd worked through all those emotions from her time in his kingdom. She was back to normal…mostly. It couldn't be the same thing. "Besides, I've been around magic since I was there last and nothing happened." David Copperfield was no _Goblin King_, but he performed one amazing show—and one that was generally safe for his audience, which is not something that could be said for another magical being she knew.

"Sarah." The way he said her name, half chastisement, half caress, sent shivers down her spine. She'd forgotten how seductive his voice was—or perhaps she'd never truly understood. She most definitely understood now. "Those fools you mortals call _magicians_ know nothing of magic. Their illusions are mere child's play. No. Until recently you hadn't been near magic since you banished my subjects from your presence. But you've had it out of your system too long. Your body can't handle a concentrated dose. You would have been better off allowing my minions to visit you. Now you have no choice."

Sarah stared at the Goblin King as if he'd suddenly started speaking Cantonese. "Speak plainly, Goblin King. It's after midnight. I've been asleep all day and you make absolutely no sense! What do you mean _I have no choice_? No choice in what? If it was so hazardous to my health, why did you show up here? In case you've forgotten, I was completely out of it all day—_before_ your little magical being visit. So you still haven't explained why my world has been shrouded for the last 24 hours."

A sly smile crept on to the Goblin King's lips. "Really? There have been no other _magical beings_ in your vicinity in the last two days? Come, come, Sarah. Have you allowed yourself to become so blinded to your past that you refuse to see what's right in front of you? I am not the only one of my kind that visits your world. Think, Sarah. Is there anyone who has struck you as familiar lately?" Crystals appeared in his hand and he began twirling them as if her answer meant little to him.

Sarah thought back through the fog of the day. There had been no unusual people in her life since the previous night. At the concert. Where Toby sang _his_ song. "What have you done to Toby?" The question came out more as a demand for an answer as she glared up at him with the remembrance of her anger. "Those friends of his are yours somehow, aren't they? If they are messing with him the way you messed with me, I'll…"

The king held up his finger. "Sarah, don't make empty threats. We both know there is nothing you can do to me unless I allow it. As for young Tobias, he is perfectly safe I assure you. _He_ didn't eat any enchanted fruit while in my kingdom. He has grown into a lovely young chap. I'd like to think his singing ability was due to my influence." He smiled fondly at some memory, before returning his mismatched eyes to Sarah. His hand movements with the crystals became more pronounced, juggling the balls over the back of his hands, rolling them down his forearms only to have them fly to the tips of his fingers and ghost across them as if made of light. "As for those musicians that accompany him; yes, they are my subjects. It was your ride home with them that triggered your relapse into the magic realm. A ride which you practically demanded. And so now all that is left for you is to return to my kingdom. You cannot survive here without magic. It is hopeless for you to fight it. _I_ may not have power over you, but my kingdom does."

Her eyes darting around the room, Sarah attempted to make sense of what she'd heard. She had long ago determined that the Goblin King was many things, but he was not a liar. A manipulator, yes, but never an outright liar. He freely admitted to infiltrating Toby's life, but for what end. What was the game he was playing at this time? "Why do you care? I'm just one more insignificant mortal. What does it matter to you if I return to the Labyrinth or die a magic-less death here?"

In a flash, the crystals were gone, replaced with a tension that was almost tangible. Crossing the room in two strides, the Goblin King loomed over her, causing her to retreat further back against her bedroom wall. Her adversary shadowed her steps until there was only her pillow between them. Placing his hands on either side of Sarah's face, the Goblin King further confined her, trapping her as effectively as a bird in a cage. His gaze drifted to her lips momentarily before returning to stare into the depths of her soul, measuring what he found there and determining her worth. "You are not insignificant," he challenged almost tenderly. In a voice barely above a whisper, he added, "I move the stars for no one...but you, Sarah."

His face was mere inches from her own and her mouth moistened instinctively, her body no longer opposed to his nearness. The world faded away and all Sarah could see, all she could feel, was the Goblin King's fire and ice gaze locked in her own. All rational thought melted from her mind, erased by his pure magnetism. He held her there in that trance-like state for an eternity, unable to move, unable to breathe. When at last she felt she might explode from the intense flame that burned between them, he abruptly pulled himself away and paced to the opposite wall. "I have my reasons, but rest assured, one way or another, the magic will claim you. No one can blame you for walking away, but you've been gone long enough. It's time to return, Sarah.

"It's time to return to the Underground."

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**A/N: **Hmmm…death after a semi-conscious state here or forever with Mr. Tight Pants? Tough choice. But Sarah doesn't usually think like me, surprisingly enough. And I'm not sure GK gave Sarah enough of an explanation about Toby and his friends. We'll see what she has to say later. Also, I might put in there that Mr. GK is not quite as random as you all might think. There are reasons for his mercurial behavior...and I will say it has very little to do with a desire to have her as a queen.

In the meantime…did you notice that I used some prompts in this chapter? Specifically "Not the pants!" and "I move the stars for no one…but you, Sarah." Quite fun **startraveller776** and **Lady Cavalier! **(Did any fangirls squeeeee at that?) Thank you for participating in my game! Feel free to shout out any more challenges!

Thank you so much everyone for all the reviews and encouragement you all are sending my way! Just hearing that you are reading this makes my day :-D.

And, hey…if you're really liking this story, you should head over to **startraveller776**'s stories to thank her. She's fantastic and reading her stuff inspired me to write my 2nd official Laby fic. Seriously. Good stuff over there! (She's in my favorites for your easy linking pleasure…). Enjoy! (Oh...but just in case you aren't liking this **why are you reading till chapter 4 if you hate it so much?**, don't blame startraveller776...her stuff is still really good! :-D)


	5. Chapter 5

**No Choice**

The Goblin King had made a mistake.

He should never have turned away.

For the second time in one day, the fog had lifted and Sarah could think clearly. "No choice? There is _always_ a choice." She spoke the words as if to convince herself of the truth in them. "I would choose death before becoming some puppet dancing on your strings." She didn't know what game he was playing, but she did know that he had only _his_ best interests at heart and she would not make a move until she knew what those interests were.

The king stared at her in stunned silence. He had been so certain of her course of action that her negative response took a moment to register. The emotions that flitted across his face varied from anger to confusion before his typical self-assuredness returned. He didn't speak; he simply watched her with that cocky expression of his, as if she had been joking and at any moment she would come to her senses.

Sarah dropped her eyes and fought for words she could say to banish him from her presence once more. She could no longer say, _'you have no power over me,_' – that only worked if she believed it. No, Sarah knew too well the sway he held over her, in more ways than one. She could only hope that he wouldn't realize the full extent of his power before she was free of him once more.

It is odd the things you notice when you are pointedly not looking at someone who is trying their best to draw you back under their spell. While rereading the Labyrinth book in her mind, searching for clues long forgotten, Sarah noticed her missing slipper peeking out from underneath her dresser. It was red and white, drawing her mind back to those awful pajamas Toby wore that night. And moving the way thoughts often do from one to the next, Sarah suddenly had an idea. She was not trapped in his world this time—he was in hers. _The words_ brought him here; could reversing them send him home?

There was only one way to find out.

"I wish…"

"Stop! Wait!" The words, the sheer panic in his voice, brought it all back to her. She was a teenager again, standing in that vast world of broken dreams, staring down her adversary. It is ironic that, despite her inability to trust him, she no longer thought of him as the villain of her youth. Was he complicated? Dark? Yes. But not a villain—or at least, not _only_ a villain. He was much more complex than that. And the pain in his voice was tangible, calling out to her. She couldn't speak.

"Sarah, think of what you are giving up. If you stay here, you will waste a way to nothing. Come with me and be revered for who and what you are." The lord of the goblins pulled out his crystals, dancing them on his fingers just on the peripherals of Sarah's vision in a last-ditch effort to gain her attention. "I offer you immortality."

It worked.

"But on what terms? Why does it matter to you whether I live or die?" she asked, staring into his mismatched eyes, willing him to speak the truth. Her mind played back her own words in answer to her questions: '_But what no one knew was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl._' Sarah grimaced at her ridiculous hopefulness. That was never part of the book. An adolescent dreamer had fancied herself in love with a character in a fairytale and changed the story to fit her fantasy. The Goblin King's real life seduction had been no more than a ploy to play on her weakness and win a game. The king had his reasons for wanting her to come with him, but she knew _that_ was not it.

Releasing his hold on her, the Goblin King began to pace in silence-a tiger trapped in a cage. He would not lie to her outright, of that she was certain, but he would manipulate the truth to such a degree as to be unrecognizable. The orbs in his hand began spinning at such a rate that they began to blur together, though the king did not seem to even notice he was moving them. They were an extension of his arm and he gave them no more thought than blinking or swallowing.

When Sarah's patience had just about run to the breaking point, the Goblin King finally stopped pacing and faced her, the crystals simultaneously disappearing. The sincerity in his gaze burned Sarah to the core as he spoke three simple words: "I need you."

The two former enemies stared into one another's eyes for an endless moment, he gauging her reaction, she trying not to succumb to his raw passion. What he saw in her eyes must have encouraged him. He took a step forward.

"I wish the Goblin King would return to his kingdom, right now!"

The words rushed out of her mouth before she could think them through. All she knew was that if he came any closer she would have lost all choice. She would be in his power. And she couldn't do that without more knowledge.

"Sarah, what have you done?" The ghostly words were spoken as he faded from her presence.

Sarah didn't allow herself a chance to ponder her actions any further at that moment. Thinking quickly, Sarah grabbed a pen and some stationary and began to write.

She only hoped she had enough time.

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**A/N: **Okay…I know this was exceptionally short. Sorry about that! But it was such a natural place to cut it off. I promise, I already have a good start on the next chapter (and despite the difficulty level **Nanenna**, I did manage to put fuzzy hugs in that one…you'll have to wait to see how it is used :-D). Unfortunately, I have been suffering from some strange illness that is kind of flu-ish in nature, so we'll see if I'm able to concentrate enough to write in the next couple of days. I actually surprised myself when I proofread this—I had typed up a whole paragraph in my sleep! (That paragraph was removed because, although I wrote coherently, it was not how I had wanted my Jareth to be in this story… and that's all I'm going to say about that—other than, how awesome is it to write in your sleep? :-D) Any and all mistakes in this chapter were made while I was sleeping…yeah…that's it…

Anyway, as always, thank you so much for your reviews, alerts and even a few favorites. It is such an encouragement to me! And **LadyCavalier** enjoy your camp! I hope you see many beautiful fish :-D.


	6. Chapter 6

**Confounding Toby**

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"_She's getting worse. I just can't do this anymore. _

…

_What do you mean? _

…

_Suz! She passed out outside my bedroom door with a note to call her little brother and his band! _

_I can't live like this anymore! What if she ends up dead? I don't want to be the one to find her! _

…

_Look, can I stay with you or not? …"_

_._

_.  
><em>

Julie's voice was muffled on the other side of a door, but toward the end, it was raised to a level that Sarah could hear as clearly as if she were standing next to her bed. She didn't blame her roommate for her panic. As the Goblin King had predicted, Sarah's symptoms of magic withdrawal came on quicker and harder than any of the previous times. She had barely made it to Julie's room before sleep knocked her out cold. But now the world was slowly coming back into focus, which meant…

"Hi, Toby."

Sarah slowly opened her eyes to look into the worried, and slightly angry, stormy blue pair of her baby brother's. At the sound of her voice Toby leaned back, releasing her from one of many fuzzy hugs he'd given her through the haze of waking up; though her mind hadn't registered the physical signs of affection until that moment. Toby always was a bit touchy feely.

"Sarah, what is going on? I get a call from your roommate saying not to talk to Mom or Dad, but just get over here as quickly as possible with the guys—no explanation whatsoever—and then I get here and you're dead in the hallway! Do you know how freaked out I was? What happened?"

Sarah looked over her brother's shoulder to Marcus who was watching her like a dog guarding a bone, waiting for the slightest indication of a challenge; the other band members stared at the floor sheepishly. "Well, Tobes, I'm not exactly sure what's going on, that's kind of why I needed your friends here. I know this is going to sound weird, but there is something I need to discuss in private with them…"

"No way! What the _crap_, Sarah! I know they're my friends and all, but come on! You just met these guys and now you need to spend time _alone_ with them? What's going on?" Toby ran his hand through his sun-kissed locks and paced the floor, attempting to figure out the mystery by sheer willpower.

Sarah sighed. "Look, Toby, I _promise_ I'll tell you everything once I know it myself. Your friends know more about what's going on than they're telling you. No, no," she held up her hand as Toby opened his mouth to protest, "listen, I know what I'm talking about. Please, Toby. I just need a few minutes with them."

Toby was not one to hold grudges, but the fierce look he shot at everyone dropped the temperature in the room a full five degrees.

"Please Toby?"Sarah pleaded.

He stared at her for a moment as if trying to read her mind, then looked at his friends in an attempt to draw the information he needed from them. Finally he threw up his hands in defeat, grumbled something under his breath about getting coffee, and left, shutting the door behind him.

Sarah listened for Toby's footsteps to retreat down the hallway before sitting up fully, crossing her arms, and focusing two green lasers from the Battlestar Williams on the men in front of her. She was surprised they didn't burn up where they stood from the vehemence of the glare sent their way. "Speak. Now. I want to know _everything_."

The lighthearted Gabriel stepped forward, his gleaming white teeth beaming as he tried to ingratiate himself to her. It was interesting that she no longer found these men as attractive as she had a few nights ago. Compared to the Goblin King, Toby's friends seemed almost _ordinary_. "Sarah, we meant you no harm. If you remember correctly, it was you who asked for a ride. We tried to keep as much distance between ourselves and you within the van as possible. You can't blame us for triggering your relapse. We didn't know."

"Ah, but you know _now_?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow. "What changed?"

"We can't tell you." It was a deep bass voice and a small part of Sarah recognized it was the first time Nathaniel had spoken in her presence. The rest of her was out of bed and across the room before the thought had fully formed.

"Like hell you can't!" she yelled, poking him in the chest for good measure. "I have the right to know _something_! Who are you, exactly? How do you know the Goblin King?"

Marcus stepped forward and placed his hand on Sarah's arm in what she assumed was supposed to be a calming gesture. She shook it off and turned the full-force of her glare on him causing him to take a step back. "Listen, Sarah, we can't tell you because we don't really know. All we were told was that you were not to be informed that His Majesty had visited. He didn't want his involvement to influence your decision to return to the Labyrinth."

"Until last night, I didn't even know it was _possible_ to return to the Labyrinth! And you never answered my question: who are you and how do you know the Goblin King?"

The three men looked at each other and communicated via facial expressions before Marcus finally spoke. "Well, who do you think we are?"

Sarah's hand clenched into a fist and she fought the urge to let it loose on his perfect nose. Once again she was shocked (and a little thrilled) by the change these _creatures_ caused in her. It had been so long since she'd felt so passionate and she realized that she would do practically anything to keep it.

Sarah released her pent up energy in a deep sigh and closed her eyes briefly. "If I had any clue as to who you are, I wouldn't have asked," she growled through clenched teeth, trying her best to remain calm.

She opened her eyes to the impassive faces of the men before her. "Oh," she groaned. "This is impossible! You are even more cryptic than _he_ is!"

"Not if you ask the right questions," Nathaniel said in a tone reminiscent of her friend, Hoggle.

Sarah took her bottom lip between her teeth and thought for a moment, trying to determine exactly what it was she most wanted to know. "Do you know about my time in the Labyrinth?"

Marcus nodded.

"Were you there during that time?"

Again, Marcus nodded.

"Are you human?"

"Ah," Nathaniel said stepping forward, "That's the right question."

Sarah waited for him to continue and when he didn't Sarah threw up her hands in frustration. "Well? Are you?"

Gabriel's angelic face lit up with mischief. "We _used_ to be. And for the time being we are again."

"What is that supposed to mean? What are you when you are not human?" Sarah asked in exasperation.

"Goblins," the three responded.

Squinting, Sarah attempted to see any of the goblin-esque characteristics she remembered from her time with her friends. They weren't there. "You expect me to believe _you_ are goblins? I really find that hard to believe. For one thing, goblins are…well…a little on the _simple_ side. No offense."

Gabriel grinned. "You will find that things are not always as they seem."

A very unladylike snort escaped Sarah's lips. "I may have heard that before."

Gabriel continued, "When we are in our goblin forms, everything is condensed. It is rare for one of us to retain our thought processes during the transition."

"So how is it you are here? How did you become human?"

"His Majesty had need of our services. We were not told much—only that we needed to befriend Toby," Marcus stated this as if "befriending Toby" were as simple as picking a flower or taking out the trash. "Once he trusted us, His Highness instructed us to form a band, and you know the rest."

"So you're _using_ him?" Sarah hissed, trying hard to keep her voice low so Toby wouldn't overhear. "What kind of game is the Goblin King playing? If he wanted me, why not come directly for me? Why did you have to involve my baby brother?"

Marcus had the decency to look embarrassed. "Please don't be mad. You have to understand how liberating it is to be out of those forms. It's not that we dislike being goblins _when_ we are goblins, but to be able to think, to be able to move, to be able to _fornicate…_" he looked at her darkly and Sarah blushed, "we would do practically anything His Majesty asked."

Gabriel touched her shoulder. "We like Toby. The king may have asked us to become his friends, but we are now truly his friends. We won't let him come to harm."

"Even if _His Majesty_ wills it?" Sarah challenged, shrugging off his hand.

Marcus glared at her. "The king specified that no harm should come to the boy…or to you." Sarah recognized a fierce loyalty in his tone that went well beyond their physical manifestations. She had insulted them by insinuating the king had devious intentions. It was good to know that not all of his subjects hated him.

But that brought them full circle. "So, if he doesn't want me harmed, what is it he wants from me? Why enter my life again now?"The three men shrugged and Sarah believed they were truly ignorant of the reasons behind the Goblin King's actions.

The four adults stared at each other, each lost in thought. Downstairs they could hear Toby's muffled voice speaking with Julie. Moments later a loud crash echoed throughout the house as the front door slammed shut and presumably a vase fell off the bookcase, punctuating the return to silence. Suddenly Sarah had an idea. "Your instructions were to keep me from harm?"

"In a roundabout sort of way, yes," Nathaniel answered.

"Okay boys, you've just hired yourselves a manager. I won't be much good as an actress now anyway."

"What?" the three asked in unison.

"A manager. There has to be some way to explain why I'm always around. It's either manager or groupie and I can't see myself fawning all over you, so manager it is. If the Goblin King wants to keep me from harm, the surest course of action is to keep _you_ close and the magic withdrawal at bay until I have a chance to figure out what's going on. Oh. And one of you is moving in." At their raised brows Sarah amended, "Or all of you. I don't really care, but I have no intention of returning to the labyrinth until I know more, and," she gestured toward the window at the sound of Julie's car pealing out of the driveway, "it seems I'm in need of a roommate."

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**A/N** – Hi Everyone! Long time no see! So sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, but to be fair, I was out of town at my best friend's wedding and didn't really have access to a computer. I hope you aren't too angry with me! I'll try to be better in the future…

Thank you all for you kind reviews! They kept me going when I was too exhausted from packing/unpacking to really want to write. I appreciate the encouragement. **LadyCavalier** I hope you enjoyed your camp! **Nanenna** did you notice that I worked "fuzzy hugs" into this chapter? It was not how I originally pictured using that phrase, but it just kind of put itself in. I might reuse it later in the original scene in my mind…we'll see :-D. And **Melissa72** you really challenged me with "battlestar"! When I first read it, I couldn't picture using it at all, but it made it in this chapter. Thanks for the challenge! I hope I used it appropriately enough for your liking. :-D

For everyone else, keep those challenges coming…they're fun for me! And thank you again for all your reviews. You are much appreciated!

Hopefully the next chapter will be up by this weekend—reviews help keep me on my toes though—hint, hint… :-D


	7. Chapter 7

**Needs**

As expected, Toby wasn't too thrilled with the arrangement, but he didn't have much say in the end. Marcus, Nathaniel, and Gabriel suddenly needed a new place to stay and since Sarah was in immediate need of a roommate or three, the opportunity was too convenient to pass up. Toby objected on principle's sake. It made him uncomfortable to have three men his sister didn't know living with her—even if they were his friends. Without going into detail, Sarah admitted to having a mutual acquaintance outside of Toby and the knowledge that the guys weren't total strangers eased Toby's mind somewhat. It made Sarah chuckle to think of her baby brother playing the protective sibling against his own friends. When had they switched roles?

Toby was also out-voted on the manager issue, but he didn't fight that nearly as hard. Sarah had a few more years of "show business" under her belt and he knew she could be useful in that arena. His bandmates had been harder to convince, but once Toby left, she made her case plainly: she _did_ know more about the business, they were to make sure no harm came to Sarah, and if they didn't stay near her, she might never wake up from the magic withdrawal. In the end, the men agreed that, until the Goblin King stated otherwise, Sarah was their manager.

And apparently he _couldn't_ say otherwise for at least thirteen days—well, eleven now.

"Why's that?" Sarah asked as she popped some spaghetti in her mouth at dinner with her three new goblin-human roommates the following evening. Julie had moved many of her things out shortly after Toby had returned to Sarah's room, not even bothering to give Sarah official notice that she was leaving. A simple, 'Bye. Have a nice life. Please don't kill yourself!' was yelled up the stairs as she shut the door and left.

Nathaniel swallowed a meatball and responded, "You wished him back to the Goblin Kingdom. He cannot return until thirteen Aboveground days are completed. It's just the way it is."

"How does that work? The wishing things," she clarified. "Is that how you became goblins in the first place?"

The men shifted uncomfortably in their seats at the question. Finally Nathaniel spoke, "Each goblin's stories is slightly different, however the essence remains the same. Someone made a wish—not necessarily to the Goblin King. In fact, as far as I know, you're the only one to wish for him specifically." Nathaniel turned introspective for a moment as he thought about this. Sarah tapped her fingers impatiently and waved him on, not sure she liked what he was implicating. "Oh. Sorry. So, as I was saying, a wish was made, but no matter who is called upon, His Majesty answers. It's his job, you see, to deal with wished-away children in whatever form it comes in. Much like with you, he offered them their dreams for the child. But unlike you, none of them chose to run the Labyrinth. The child was taken and introduced into the Underground society. We became goblins."

"That's so sad! It wasn't your fault you were wished away! How could he be so cruel?"

The three men exchanged confused looks. "No, you don't understand," Marcus said after a moment. "The _children_ didn't become goblins. _We_ did. Yes, our dreams were fulfilled as he promised, but as goblins. Goblins don't have incredibly complicated dreams. Eat, sleep, and be merry pretty much covers it all. The children were given much better lives than what they received here."

"Why you little monsters!" Sarah quickly covered her mouth with her hand, realizing just how hypocritical she sounded. After all, she had wished Toby away.

But she had fought to get him back.

The goblinmen didn't argue. "Yes, we were monsters. The king is wise—he simply made our outsides match our insides. He didn't lie to us, but things are not always what they seem. Our reward for our cruelty was very fitting. But we have since learned how stupid and petty we were. Being a goblin really puts things in perspective." Marcus' smile was bittersweet.

A dozen new questions formed in her mind, but Sarah chose the one closest to the subject she needed to know about the most. "So, why did he send you three back then?"

Gabriel shrugged. "We were the closest to his chair. Although I suspect there was more to it than that. Nothing is simple with him."

That was an understatement.

Sarah thought for a moment. "When we first met, you gave your ages in vague terms. Is this what you were like before you were goblins? How old are you really?"

Gabriel smiled. "Perhaps similar ages. We long ago lost track of our real ages—goblin minds and all—but the world is a lot different from the world I knew. I do know that I do not look anything as I did before. His Majesty desired that we look attractive to the females here and formed us accordingly." He waggled his eyebrows for emphasis, making Sarah laugh.

"Yes, well, if the screaming girls at the concert are any judge, I'd say he succeeded," she teased, grinning around her bite of garlic bread.

"And you, Sarah? How do you judge our physical appeal?" Marcus' tone was playful, but his dark eyes betrayed a more serious inquiry, sending off warning bells in the back of Sarah's mind. She may have done a better job of flirting in that van than she had thought.

Placing a slight smile on her face to lessen the sting, she gave him a level look, "Sure, you _boys_ are attractive, but I prefer my _men_ a little older."

Gabriel laughed outright in response, slapping Marcus on the back, and the mood was lightened once more.

After dinner, Sarah sat down at her new computer and began her search for answers. She hadn't had much of a use for the thing until now, but she wanted a jumping off point before heading to the library the following morning. If what the guys said was true, she didn't have much time to waste.

**)))(((**

"This is a waste of time!" Jareth muttered to himself as he stared into the glass globe balanced precariously on his fingertips. "She's not going to find anything _there_ that will persuade her to make a decision to come to the Labyrinth and there is nothing I can do about it from _here_!" He stood, crushing the crystal in his gloved palm. It popped like a bubble despite its solid exterior moments earlier and a shower of glittering dust floated to the ground.

The Goblin King continued grumbling under his breath about Sarah and her stupid wishes as he walked the length of his throne room, tapping the riding crop against his thigh. Sarah had taken his goblins to all of the libraries within driving distance in the last week with nothing to show for it. There was only four days left until he could enter the Aboveground again freely. Time was running short.

Merely being near her had boosted his magic to new levels; he could only imagine what it'd be like when she actually returned permanently. "She should never have been able to leave in the first place!" he growled. In frustration he kicked the nearest goblin, sending him soaring across the room to land atop one of the empty grog barrels. The little furball laughed as he experienced a semblance of flying—_that one's_ dreams were easy to fulfill.

It had been foretold centuries earlier that the first Aboveground female to call upon Jareth in his true form would bring him power greater than anyone in the Underground had ever known. He'd kept this prophecy secret, often wondering if it would ever be fulfilled. The promise of unreserved power beckoned to him and he _had_ to claim it as his own.

When Jareth first heard Sarah use his name in the little play of hers as a child, he suspected she might be the one. He had followed her in his owl form, waiting for the day she would need him enough to actually wish for him to appear. He had expected her to turn aside her dreams to face the Labyrinth for Tobias—after all, how could a goblin give him power? He had even anticipated her beating the Labyrinth—she was undeniably strong-willed.

But she shouldn't have been able to leave!

That peach should have sealed her fate in the goblin kingdom. Tasting the magic that encompassed every aspect of the Labyrinth began the process of unlocking the conductor within—he'd felt his enhanced magic even as they danced in her dream—and the extra enchantments he'd placed on the fruit should have made her desire to stay. She should have remained in that dream world, but she was stronger than he'd imagined. She escaped the pull and fled back to her Aboveground home.

For the first year or so after Sarah left, Jareth was able to glimpse the power she would eventually be able to give him through her contact with his subjects. However, when she cut off that brief connection, his magic became stagnant—he was still more powerful than most beings in the Underground, but not complete. He could feel his magic pulsing off her, trying to reach her and slamming against the wall between their worlds. That taste he'd had when dancing with her at the concert had been like a fresh breeze in a stale room. And when he'd been alone with her…

He needed her _with_ him.

And she needed him.

Once she had fully matured into womanhood, with no magic to ripple the waters, the flow within her had gone dormant. Though it was in hibernation, it needed a release and so it fed upon her emotions and waited. Now that it was fully awake, it required regular feeding. Within her she carried a conduit that channeled the greater ocean of magic contained in his realm, but without access to the source, her small river was drying up, sapping every drop it could from her in the process. The "withdrawal" she felt was killing her. Oh, clever woman that she was, she came up with a way to stave off the drain, but that was only a temporary fix. Her inner being would not be satisfied with the measly amount of magic his minions could provide her for long. She needed to return, to be whole once more.

Her stubbornness was destroying her. With her went his source of power and he would not let that happen. Pacing the floor, the Goblin King formulated a plan. He could tell that Sarah was attracted to him; drawn by his power. He would use that. He would seduce her; make her believe that he loved her. He only needed to get her to ask to return—then she'd be his forever.

"Your Highness! They're at the entrance to the Labyrinth! It's begun!" The yell broke out through the cacophony of Jareth's throne room, the last phrase spoken as an echo through the squat goblin's helmet as his face shield fell with his agitation.

The Goblin King kept his face impassive as he nodded curtly to the messenger. His kingdom stood between the only portal to the world above and the Underground. It was Jareth's job to keep that portal sealed against undue pressure on both sides and it was for this purpose that the Labyrinth had been created. A not-so-secret rebellion had been building over the last century made up of those who felt the portal should be opened for all to go through. It appeared the rebels were done planning and were finally on the move.

A crystal appeared in Jareth's hand without conscious thought and he looked in on the entrance of his Labyrinth. It was different than the one that Sarah had used, as it should be. The rebels had begun his Labyrinth on the opposite side where members of the Underground began their quest to enter into Above. This side was fraught with challenges for those who possessed magic and the Labyrinth would not admit any who were found unworthy. Sarah made it through the mortal side with relative ease because, although she had challenged the Goblin King, there was no maliciousness in her actions. She may refuse to admit it, but she thrilled at the adventure she had been given and the Labyrinth responded kindly to her.

The rebels would not be so lucky.

A wicked smile crept on to his lips as he watched the battle taking place with the sirens. The myths of Above would place these women (if one could call them that) as beautiful musicians of the sea. In actuality, although attractive to the eye, they were hardly women, and the ear-piercing screech they made could not be called _music_ by any standard. Only those with very powerful magic could create a spell to block out the noise. Those not powerful enough must try to navigate around them with their hands over their ears in a feeble attempt to deaden the sound, though even with that as a help, the men would be left with a migraine for days following their meeting with the gate's guardians—if they managed to survive. Without the support of their handmade earmuffs, even the most powerful wizards fell prey. And the landscape made sure that they were deprived of their hands at every opportunity. Jareth watched as roots rolled out from beneath the surface and wrapped around the ankle of one of the more dimwitted soldiers. Instinctually the man held out his hand to brace himself for the fall and was dead before he hit the ground, blood trickling from his ears to pool beneath his chin. One of his companions practically sprinted over him in his cowardly effort to put as much distance between himself and the sirens as possible. That one would probably get away, but even as Jareth watched, dozens of rebel soldiers fell to the first of the many traps inlaid in that section of his Labyrinth.

No one individual could stand up to Jareth's power, but united…

Time was of the essence. The war had begun. He could only hope that the Labyrinth rid him of a good chunk of their army before they made it near the Goblin City. And that Sarah stopped her foolishness and came back where she belonged before his whole kingdom was destroyed.

He needed her.

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**A/N – **Several of you asked for more Jareth—well, your wish is my command. I happen to enjoy writing him and he will play a starring role from here on out. So…what do you think of my take on the goblins? Also, I know the whole "Sarah being prophesied" thing has been done before, but this time, Sarah was not prophesied to be the love of Jareth's life so I hope it is unique enough for you. I try not to rewrite what others have done since they usually did a better job anyway!

This chapter carried a lot of information in it. Let me know if you have questions and if enough of you are confused, I'll take a stab at rewriting this…although Jareth will have to explain things to Sarah a little more fully on down the road. It makes sense to me, but I know the whole story! :-D

As always, thank you so much for taking the time to review! You make me smile and your reviews give me encouragement to keep writing. And, hey, if you want to give me another challenge, I'm up for it! I've enjoyed the challenges so far! :-D

Happy reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Time's Up**

Sarah picked up Jumpers and instinctively smiled as the cat's purr massaged away some of the stress. The tiger-striped tabby had found her way onto Sarah's windowsill three days after the guys moved in and Sarah hadn't had the heart to kick her out. Although she had been a dog person most of her life, she found that this cat was more like a dog than a cat anyway—a dog that loved to be cuddled close, magically draining Sarah's anxiety as she paced the floor in frustration.

As of midnight last night, her thirteen days were over and Sarah had learned next to nothing. Surprisingly, Sarah's new roommates knew very little about the inner workings of the Labyrinth, having spent much of their time as goblins near the grog tank. Sarah was beginning to suspect that was the real reason they had been chosen—loose lips sink ships and all that nonsense. It hadn't helped that Gabriel had found the solitaire game on her computer. Who knew so much time could be wasted putting a red card on a black one?

The only real bit of information that she'd gleaned from her near two weeks of emotional freedom was that she missed the passion of her youth. It was as if she just realized she had been breathing through a straw for the last fifteen years. All of a sudden she was able to think clearly, to smile and laugh without restraint, and cry abundant tears—which happened more often than Sarah would care to admit. One moment she would be discouraged by the superficial fairy tales that inundated the mythology and folklore sections of her local libraries, the next moment she would be crying on the shoulder of the nearest goblin-man (which almost always turned out to be Marcus). But the release it gave her was euphoric. She could not go back to her half-life.

And that made her focus more than anything else ever could.

She would never admit it out loud (or even to herself), but Sarah was scared. If the Goblin King was telling the truth (and she knew he was), she could not remain in the world she knew. She was dying. Sure, she felt more alive than she'd felt in years, but at any moment the Goblin King could take back his subjects and then it was only a matter of time before she wasted away to nothing. She wondered briefly if she would merely go to sleep as she had so often as of late, only to never wake up; or would it be painful—smothered by whatever unseen force caused her emotions to be lacking in the first place. The Goblin King offered her immortality, but at what cost? Would being his slave for eternity be better than a peaceful death with her family nearby?

He said he needed her. It all came down to what exactly he needed her _for_. And that was where her research came up short. Sarah read book after book, magazine articles about gardening lawn mazes, and even newspaper clippings about missing children—anything that might shed a clue on the world of the Goblin King. Most of what she read carried little resemblance to what she knew from her time there. The Goblin King himself was never mentioned in any of the books. Goblins, yes. Frequently. But nothing about a king. She found much about labyrinths in general, but it seemed that the Goblin King did not follow by any of the rules that govern normal labyrinths. In short, Sarah learned very little and her time was up.

Jumper leapt from her arms at the sound of the doorbell and Sarah's frustration deepened. It would be Toby. Again. Nathaniel came running downstairs to let him in and Sarah forced herself to maintain at least a neutral expression as the other guys began rearranging furniture in the living room.

Not that she was unhappy to see her baby brother, but her "manager duties" continually intruded upon her studies. Thankfully Toby still had school during the day so they could make their trips to the library undisturbed, but he found his way to her home every evening for band practice. As did several of the "fans" they had managed to obtain. Sarah had to physically remove one of the little harlots from her home when she found her trying to conceal herself in the upstairs hall closet. What exactly she expected to get from hiding in such a crude location, Sarah could only imagine.

The band members were gentlemen for the most part despite their fangirls' aggressiveness. Although the girls seemed to find her younger brother attractive, much of their attention was drawn towards the relative maturity of his bandmates and she was grateful that he was either oblivious or secure enough that he didn't seem to care. Gabriel was the only one who retired to the bedroom with any of their _guests_ after the practices were over. Nathaniel seemed almost embarrassed by the attention, but he would snuggle on the couch with a girl or two as the band wrapped things up. Marcus, however, surprised Sarah. For all his talk about fornication, Marcus was the most hesitant to do anything with the women who were practically throwing themselves at him. Sarah asked him about it one night as he helped her wash the dishes and he simply responded that, "none of them hold a candle to you."

It made Sarah want to vomit.

Oh sure, her hormones instinctively began working at his blatant interest in her. All three of her new roommates were beyond physically appealing by traditional _human_ standards and it felt good to be desired. But he was a goblin. Who knew when the Goblin King would decide to return him to his former self? Besides, such cheesy lines reeked of possession. He didn't want _her_; he wanted what he couldn't obtain. And Sarah was not a prize to be won by _anyone_.

"Sarah! I brought someone along that I want you to meet!" Toby exclaimed in greeting as he entered, breaking into Sarah's thoughts. Through the still-open doorway, Sarah could see cars parking down the street and she knew it would only be a matter of time before her living room was filled with dim-witted females. She groaned inwardly.

"Hey, Tob…" Sarah's voice cut off as a pair of black leather motorcycle boots captured her attention. Of course, it was the man standing in those boots that caused her mind to go blank. Swathed in black leather from head to toe, the Goblin King swaggered in behind her brother as if he owned the place. His hair was cut in its typical wild array, however, rather than looking out of place in the "real world," it merely gave him that extra rock-star appeal. Instinctively saliva began to pool in Sarah's mouth and she swallowed hard to keep back the drool. Stupid hormones.

Toby saw her awe-struck face and quickly made introductions. "Sarah, this is Jareth. He heard about our band on the radio and asked if it would be okay to stop in. He's thinking of auditioning, but he wants to make sure our style fits with his. I didn't think you'd mind. It's okay, isn't it?" he asked, concern growing as he took in Sarah's frozen form.

Sarah blinked quickly and pulled her attention back to Toby. "Yeah. Sure Tobes. It's your band, right? I'm just the manager. Um…Marcus, can I see you in the kitchen for a moment?" Grabbing Marcus' sleeve, she began pulling him out of the room. "Go ahead and begin without him. It'll only take a minute," Sarah called over her should as she ran away into the kitchen, dragging a less-than-willing Marcus behind her.

"What is _he_ doing here? I thought I had to wish him into my presence! I'm not ready for this yet!" Sarah hissed, nodding her head back in the direction of the sound of musicians tuning up behind her.

Marcus looked just as disappointed as Sarah, but she suspected it was for other reasons. If the Goblin King were here in person, he may not need the goblin-_men_ any longer. He opened his mouth to speak, but the silky voice of the Goblin King cut him off. "You needn't bother him. As you can see, he is almost as upset by these turn of events as you are." Sarah spun around, her chin automatically rising in defiance as she made certain to keep the Goblin King in sight.

She opened her mouth to tell him just exactly what he could do with his _turn of events_, but the Goblin King spoke before she could fully formulate the speech in her head. "What is it about you that turns my subjects against me so?" He asked, tilting his head to the side as if studying a rather difficult puzzle. He tapped his lips with his right index finger which was encased in a smooth, black leather glove. After a moment he shrugged. "Ah, well, this one's motives are obvious—he seems to have developed amorous intentions toward you and I suspect he is affronted by my interference." His lips curled in a semi-snarl as he gestured in Marcus' direction, before neutralizing his expression. "Maverick you may leave now. I have private business to discuss with Ms. Williams."

Marcus immediately headed for the door, but a gloved hand grabbed him by the collar before he got more than two steps. Pulling the goblin within inches of his face, the Goblin King spoke, his voice a study in calm as if he were discussing the weather or the color of the front lawn. "Do be a little more mindful of your countenance in my presence if you desire to remain as you are. Have I made myself clear?" Grudgingly Marcus nodded and the Goblin King released him, turning back to face Sarah once more. He paid little attention to Marcus' departure, making his dismissal all the more humiliating.

Sarah's gaze followed Marcus from the room. "Arrogant, self-centered, bully," she muttered under her breath. Inhaling, she faced the Goblin King. "You shouldn't be here. I didn't wish for you this time. I made _very_ sure of that. What rule did you break to get in?"

"Sarah. I'm surprised at you. You should know by now that I do not break my own rules—bend them when the need arises, yes—but not break. I am free to enter wherever my goblins have dominion. You gave my minions complete access to your home so here I am." He held his arms out and gave her a mock bow.

Sarah glared at him, one eyebrow quirking in an attempt to look braver than she felt. "Oh, no Goblin King. They do not have _complete_ access to my home. My bedroom is off-limits to them…and to you."

His lips quirked up in a half smile. "Come now Sarah. Your brother has properly introduced us. You may call me Jareth for the time being. In fact, I insist. It wouldn't do to draw attention to my full-time occupation with all these mortals around, now would it? As for your bedroom, I assure you that I would never enter there…unless you wished it." Humor glinted in his mismatched eyes and she blushed as she recalled wishing him in there only a short time ago—accidentally.

An awkward silence descended upon the room as Sarah fought for something clever to say. She had so many questions, yet they waited just outside her grasp when faced with the King himself. Jareth eased himself back against her cabinets, lounging in his cavalier manner, his right ankle crossed over his left as if he sat in a comfortable throne rather than leaning against the corner of a tiled counter. He seemed content to let her squirm for a few minutes. Sarah hated that he always appeared to have everything under control.

She sighed in defeat. Finally giving up on forming her phrases eloquently, she asked," Okay, Jareth. What exactly do you want from me?"

As if her question was a summons, he moved to stand before her, floating gracefully across the floor, but with a rough quality that screamed, _"male"_ (_everything_ about the Goblin King screamed, "_male_"). Sarah didn't think to back away. She couldn't. All thoughts flew out the window as he towered above her. She bit her lower lip and focused in on his perfectly formed mouth as he spoke. "Sarah, we should be returning to the living room," he practically purred, grabbing a lock of her hair and studying it as it slipped through his thumb and index finger. Her legs turned to liquid jelly, but she stood her ground. She wondered what kind of magic spell he used to make her libido go completely crazy with the slightest touch. He must release some sort of pheromone or something.

"After all," he continued, pretending that he was unaware of the affect he had on her, "Tobias might start getting concerned about his older sister being left alone with a mysterious, handsome stranger in the kitchen. Who knows what kind of mischief we might get into?" His gaze captured her own and his sinister smile showed that he was only half joking.

Sarah didn't take the bait. Zeroing in on the door, she stepped around him and exited the room, her legs becoming stronger as she got further away from his magnetic pull. Jareth's laughter chased her like demon fire as the door closed behind her, the sound carrying even above the opening chords of "As the World Falls Down." The small crowd gathered in her living room turned to see what was so funny and Sarah blushed as she tried to hide out of their eyesight.

Only when she took her seat on a barstool in the corner did she realize that he had evaded her question.

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**A/N** – Hi all. I am SO sorry this took so long to get up. I'm not going to get into the multitude of excuses I have (including two separate ER visits!), but I will give a cyber dessert of your choice to the one who can figure out where a majority of my free time has been spent the last couple of weeks. (Hint: I wrote it into this chapter!)

**LadyCavalier** and **startravler776, **thank you for more challenges! You are too fun! :-D I only got to use one of your "suggestions" in this chapter Lady, but rest assured (both of you) that your challenges will be met!

**Thank you again everyone for all your kind reviews.** You truly make me smile! I'm so glad you take the time to read the words I put on paper (well, on screen…). I love seeing all the "hits" on my traffic page :-D.

And, to steal from some of my favorite authors on here: If you've read this far, **please leave a contribution in the little box**. :-D


	9. Chapter 9

**Rock Stars**

The band now had a saxophonist.

They also had a cellist, a bassist, a harmonicist, and a flippin' keytarist all rolled up into one multitalented, egotistical, megalomaniac named Jareth. Every day the _man_ showed up with a new instrument or two and seamlessly wove the sound into the songs the band already played. Who knew they could use a saxophone in a _metal_ band? But Jareth managed to make it sound like it belonged there. It really was impressive. And Toby loved him almost as much as his fan girls did. Sarah had never seen Toby so infatuated with anyone. Overnight _Jareth_ had become his hero. What would happen to him once the Goblin King was done playing rock star? Sarah tried not to think about that.

It was the fourth day since Jareth had "auditioned" and he had stayed away from Sarah the entire time. No more stalking her behind closed doors. No more, "_I need you_." Nothing. He left when Toby went home only to return for band practice the following day. For some reason Sarah had assumed he would try to move in—she had even prepared valid arguments as to why that wouldn't be a good idea for _him_—but of course that was foolish. He still had a kingdom to run. In fact, other than his cryptic warnings of, "time is short. You must return soon," whispered to her before he left each day, the king barely even acknowledged Sarah's presence.

And it irked her more than she admitted.

He didn't ignore the fangirls though. He jumped right into full rock star mode there. A small harem left with him after each rehearsal. Where he took them she had no idea, nor did she dwell on it. Much.

She didn't know what game he was playing, but she was no longer a scared fifteen year old girl chasing a dream in a bubble. She was an actress. And a damn good one too! She would not let him know how much he got under her skin.

The practice set was almost over and the fake blondes and redheads that filled her living room had already staked out their positions for when the band put away their instruments. Sarah wasn't surprised to see most of them clamoring for prime Jareth spots—irritated, but not surprised. She was not jealous that he seemed to prefer the ease of their company to the challenge of seeking out hers. After all Sarah was only concerned about what her future held. She wasn't interested in the Goblin King as a person. Who cared if he was a gorgeous musical genius who made her go weak in the knees simply by saying her name?

Okay, maybe she was a little jealous. But only because he was supposedly here for Sarah and yet he spent his time with all those other bimbos—admittedly they were stunningly beautiful bimbos, but still—didn't he have a job to do or something?

Well, if he wanted to play games, she'd play to win.

As the music died down, Sarah went straight for Marcus. His long, black hair was slick with perspiration where it had escaped from the leather throng with which he'd tied it back. If she looked closely, she could see evidence of his exertion on the tight black t-shirt he wore, obviously chosen to show off his biceps. The laborious task of keeping a fast tempo for nearly an hour straight every day was bound to give a man some definition.

"You did great today, Marcus," she cooed over the low chatter filling the living room. She gently placed her hand on his well-muscled forearm and smiled. It wasn't as difficult to be near him as she had expected from his saturated exterior—the pleasant musky aroma he gave off was a far cry from the old gym sock smell she was anticipating. Sarah wondered briefly if it was a magic thing since his king always smelled delicious as well. Not that she paid attention to that sort of thing.

Remembering her purpose for being there, Sarah leaned in a little and said, "I especially liked the drum solo in the third song—you really outdid the others there."

Marcus grinned at the praise, then darted a look at Jareth to see if he noticed. His sovereign didn't so much as glance in their direction, but Sarah got the distinct impression that he was paying close attention. Good.

"Thanks, Sarah. I'm glad you liked it." His sincerity almost made Sarah feel guilty for leading him on, but then she reminded herself that it was only a game to him as well and she let the feeling subside.

Time to go in for the kill. "So, I was wondering. After all the people clear out of here, would you like to go get some coffee or something? I'm feeling a bit stifled by…" a hand landed on her shoulder making Sarah pause. It was Toby.

"Hey! Sorry to interrupt, Sis, but I wanted to ask Marcus if he was coming with us. We're going to head out for a while—you know, do some guy stuff. No offense, Sarah, but we really haven't done much together as a band since you became our manager and Jareth thinks it would be good for us to go and blow off some steam. You know, _just the guys_." Toby had not learned the fine art of subtlety.

Sarah looked over her shoulder and noticed that they had Jareth's complete attention now. He stood with each of his arms curled around the small of two different girls' backs, his left eyebrow cocked in a challenging expression, his lips quirked up in a smirk as if he knew he'd won this round. And he had. Marcus would not be foolish enough to go against a direct request from his king. Sarah shot his royal highness a glare before resigning herself to give up the point.

She sighed. "Sure, Toby. I understand. You guys go off and have some fun."

After a moment's hesitation, Marcus piped up. "You know, Toby, I'm not sure I'm feeling up to going out tonight. Why don't you and the rest of the guys head off without me." Sarah shot Marcus a surprised glance. Surely he wasn't going to defy his king. That would ruin all her plans! She needed him to stay as a _man_ in order for her scheme to work. It's not like she could make Jareth jealous by flirting with a talking furball!

Jareth casually untangled himself from the bimbos, moved over to their little group, and slung his arm over Toby's shoulder. The girls huffed and walked away, not daring to interrupt a "band meeting," but definitely affronted by the dismissal. In fact, the entire room was clearing out unusually early. Word must have gotten around that there would be no "after show" that evening. The fangirls were quickly grabbing purses and heading out the door, leaving Sarah's home with a little peace and quiet. That Jareth immediately broke.

Pretending he hadn't been eavesdropping on the earlier conversation, Jareth questioned Toby, while pinning Marcus with a look that spoke of bogs or worse should he refuse. "So, Tobias, is Marcus here ready to leave?"

Toby shook his head. "It looks like it's just going to be the four of us tonight. Marcus isn't feeling like heading out." The look of adoration that came over Toby's face at his inclusion into Jareth's circle of friends made Sarah want to punch him. She had never seen such hero-worship from anyone, let alone her brother.

"Is that so, Marcus?" Toby heard it as a question; Marcus heard it as the challenge Jareth had intended.

Once again Marcus surprised Sarah. Not quite daring to look his king in the eye, Marcus squared his shoulders defiantly and said, "I don't think it's a good idea to leave Sarah here all alone. There's been some strange things going on with her health and all. I think one of her roommates should stay, and I volunteer."

Sarah was touched. Was he really defying Jareth so that she wouldn't have to deal with her magic withdrawal? Her heart softened a bit toward Marcus. Maybe he did have actual feelings for her after all. It didn't change the way she felt toward him, but it made her second-guess her plan at using him to score points against Jareth.

Toby's face fell and he scratched at the back of his neck. "He's right, Jareth. Sarah has had some health problems lately. Maybe he should stay." Toby was clearly torn between offending his newfound hero and making sure his sister was safe. Sarah was glad she still held _some_ of his loyalty.

The Goblin King smiled. Again, to Toby, it might have looked friendly—although Sarah couldn't imagine how he could be _that_ blind. Sarah, and Marcus, saw it for what it truly was; a threat. "Marcus. I am sure Ms. Williams will be perfectly fine here on her own. After all, she is a grown woman." His smile turned mocking as he focused in on Sarah. Looking deep into her eyes, he continued, "Should she need help, she knows who to call."

Sarah took Jareth's not-so-subtle challenge. Her eyes never leaving his, she replied, "It's okay, guys. Marcus, go have fun. I could use some time alone anyway."

Jareth nodded almost imperceptibly, breaking his hold on her. She noticed the other band members had gathered around and were looking a little worried, but Sarah wasn't afraid. She had already formed a plan. As soon as they left, she would head for bed and let the magic withdrawal knock her unconscious. Sarah doubted Jareth would leave her alone after investing so much time in her, so she could wait it out. And when he returned, he was going to do some explaining. He wasn't getting away with evading her any longer. He said he needed _her_—_she_ had the upper hand. If he needed her, then he was damn sure going to tell her why!

Either Toby remained oblivious to the tension in the room or he conveniently chose to ignore it. He was still young enough that selfishness won out over responsibility if given any way out. In his mind, Sarah had given her blessing for him to hang out with his buddies and he was determined not to waste another minute. "Great! Sorry for leaving you out tonight, Sarah. I hope you understand. It's a guy thing." And with that, they all walked toward the entryway. "Enjoy your night!" Toby called over his shoulder as he headed out the door followed by Gabriel and Nathaniel. Marcus hesitated at the threshold, but Sarah waved him on. With hunched shoulders he followed the others out.

Jareth was the last to leave. "Sarah, when you have decided that enough is enough and you are ready to take sanctuary in my kingdom, you know what to do." Did she imagine the look of concern that crossed his features?

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "I'm not going anywhere until I have some answers, Jareth. Enjoy your night out, but don't expect to hear anything from me until I've found out what exactly you're not telling me."

Jareth's lips twisted in a half snarl. "Don't defy me, Sarah. Time is short." And with that he closed the door behind him.

"You sound like a broken record!" Sarah yelled at the closed door. She thought she heard Jareth laughing as he walked down the driveway.

Sarah sighed. "Well, I better get in position. Who knows how long I have?" Sarah grabbed an apple off the counter and headed up stairs. She made sure to take care of all her personal business (just in case) and then sprawled out on the bed, flipping through channels on her small TV as she waited for the exhaustion to overtake her. Last time it had taken a little over 30 minutes.

This time it only took ten.

It started slow. She felt the normal bone weariness that she had been expecting from her last two episodes creeping up on her, beginning at her head and slowly moving its way down her body. Sarah turned the TV off, closed her eyes, and prepared to fall asleep. She almost smiled—Jareth thought he could win simply by wearing her out. She'd show him. She would greet him at tomorrow's rehearsal fully rested and ready to spar.

She snuggled deeper under her covers, letting her mind go blank, but something was different. She suddenly felt colder, as if her comforter was sapping the heat from her body rather than holding it in. Sarah began to shiver uncontrollably, cocooning herself within her blankets, but feeling no warmth. As her body temperature plummeted, she noticed an increasing feeling of pain. It was more than just withdrawal symptoms. It felt like something was draining the energy directly from her body through a thousand tiny wires connected to the pores in her skin.

At the same time, her emotions were shrinking within her once more. She knew she was in unbearable pain. She knew she _should_ be terrified. But she couldn't summon the willpower to cry out. It was as if her soul had been separated from her body and was watching it writhe in misery, then taking notes on how she should react. It was a separate entity.

She lay there, paralyzed, willing her vocal chords into action, but unable to move or speak. Did Jareth know this is what would happen if he took away all the magic from her life? If the Goblin King _had_ known, would he have left? Was this an example of his cruelty?

At that moment, she didn't care. She would surrender to him if he would only appear to take away the pain. She didn't know how much longer she could last. Her energy was almost completely gone. It felt like a blizzard had begun under her sheets, turning her core to ice and freezing her to immobility. She was certain she was not going to survive. She mentally cursed her stupidity. At least if she'd gone with Jareth, she might have had the opportunity to see her family again. Now she would be lucky if there was even a body left to find. A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye—her last remaining vestige of emotion fell in liquid form, staining her pillowcase with its salty presence.

She was going to die.

And then the rumbling began.

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**A/N – **And I think that's where I'll cut off for now. What is that rumbling? Hmmm…

Yes, I'm feeling a bit evil tonight. Sue me.

I'm surprised no one guessed my reason for the long delay between the last two chapters besides **Nanenna**. Yes, Spider Solitaire holds a dangerous draw. Don't give in to its pull! Nanenna has not told me what cyber-dessert she desires so I am just sending over the whole kitchen from the Cheesecake Factory. I'm sure she'll find something she likes there and since it is all done cyberly, it's free for me!

As always, thank you so much for taking the time to send me a review. You really make my day just saying you're still reading. Plus, if you review you give me a chance to look at your stuff (if you've written any)…I'm always looking for good laby fics! :-D As for the challenges that have been sent my way…next chapter. I _promise_ we will see some of those challenges appear in the next chapter. So keep reading! :-D (I hope to have the next chapter up by this weekend, but I have a busy week planned so no guarantees…)

Reviews are much appreciated as always (it will make me write faster…I _promise_!)


	10. Chapter 10

_She lay there, paralyzed, willing her vocal chords into action, but unable to move or speak. Did Jareth know this is what would happen if he took away all the magic from her life? If the Goblin King had known, would he have left? Was this an example of his cruelty?_

_At that moment, she didn't care. She would surrender to him if he would only appear to take away the pain. She didn't know how much longer she could last. Her energy was almost completely gone. It felt like a blizzard had begun under her sheets, turning her core to ice and freezing her to immobility. She was certain she was not going to survive. She mentally cursed her stupidity. At least if she'd gone with Jareth, she might have had the opportunity to see her family again. Now she would be lucky if there was even a body left to find. A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye—her last remaining vestige of emotion fell in liquid form, staining her pillowcase with its salty presence._

_She was going to die._

_._

_._

_And then the rumbling began_

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><p>.<p>

**Choosing a Path**

The rumbling grew exponentially in direct proportion to Sarah's increased anguish; shaking her ceiling fan and causing her vision to blur. Was this an earthquake? If so, she was stuck, defenseless in the center of her bed, unable to move her head as dust bunnies floated down from the fan blades. She actually began to hope that the ceiling would cave in on her—it might lessen her time of suffering. A quick death, rather than the drawn out pain she was currently experiencing.

However, the earthquake theory was thrown out the window when the movement began to concentrate. Her room was no longer shaking, just her bed. And then it was just her. She wasn't sure what exactly it was, but there was a definite vibration coming from the vicinity of her chest. The pulsation was low and filled with warmth. Sarah couldn't move, but she began to feel energy flowing back into her. Through her confusion, she felt a change; the rumbling became a purr.

Jumpers.

Sarah had left the door open so her roommates would have an easy way to check in on her when they returned. It had been a smart move. The cat must have sensed her unease and came to soothe her. She almost laughed at the direction her imagination had taken. Creating an earthquake out of a cat's purr—she must have been further gone than she'd thought!

Somehow the cat had brought her back from the brink of death. She'd recognized his strange ability to soothe her emotions from the moment she'd let him in, but now it appeared as if he was also able to reverse the drain of magic. As she slowly regained mobility, she brought her hand up to feel his silky fur. "Hey, Handsome," she rasped to the little cat, scratching behind his ears. "How'd you manage that?"

His face turned up and an impossible little smirk that was all-too familiar twitched his lips. Sarah groaned. Another point for Jareth.

"You _are_ a stubborn little minx, aren't you?"

Sarah jerked her head around to stare at the Goblin King leaning casually against her bedroom doorjamb—carefully avoiding entrance into the room itself per their earlier parameters. "Were you ever going to call for help or did you plan to expire this evening all alone? I do think your brother might have been a little put out had that happened."

Despite the warmth the cat had brought back to her, Sarah was still shivering in her blanket cocoon. Her emotions were just beginning to catch up to her body, but she couldn't determine if she was shaking from the terror of her near death experience or from her outrage.

He _knew!_

He knew, and he let her stay home alone anyway! "You bastard! How _DARE_ you use me like some whacked out experiment! You knew what was going to happen to me and you still left! I could have _died!" _Sarah meant to sound strong and threatening. Unfortunately, her throat was not quite up to the task and her ire came out in a hoarse whisper.

"Stop being so melodramatic. I did not leave you here all alone. You had the cat," Jareth said, gesturing to Jumpers who was curled up on Sarah's stomach attempting to take a nap.

Sarah didn't know what to say to that kind of logic. How do you respond to a maniac? "A _cat_? You left me alone with a _cat_ and you expect me to, what? Thank you? For the CAT?"

"Oh yes, for we all know how thankful Sarah Williams can be," Jareth said with a bitter laugh. "It _was_ generous of me to send the cat to you for your protection when you stubbornly refused to allow me admittance. As long as he is near you, he can draw on the magic of my Labyrinth and call me if you are in need—even if you refuse to do so yourself. So you were not truly in danger of death, unless perhaps death by pertinacity counts." Sarah glared at him. "But my generosity extended beyond this furry creation," he stated, flicking his hand in Jumper's general direction." You wanted to know what would happen if you stayed here, didn't you? I allowed you to find out. Isn't that generous?"

"A simple, 'Sarah, if you stay here you will have to suffer an agonizing death as the magic slowly drains your life-force from your body,' might have sufficed!" Her voice sounded stronger to her own ears. Her energy was increasing by the second and she was finally able to sit up and face the Goblin King. She could not sound nearly as authoritative lying down.

"And would you have believed me?"

His question caught her off guard and she moved Jumpers off her lap in a lame effort to stall. She didn't know how to respond. Sarah would _not_ have trusted him. She knew he had ulterior motives to bringing her to the Underground and although she was pretty sure he could not outright lie, he could sure make the truth unrecognizable. He was right, but there was no way she would give him the satisfaction of admitting it!

Jareth took her silence as an opportunity to go on the offensive. "I told you, Sarah. Time is short. You can no longer make a claim on this world as your own. Without my help, you cannot live here, and I can no longer afford to be your crutch. I have responsibilities in my own world that garner my attention. Make your choice."

It was an ultimatum which Sarah knew she could not refuse. She fought for an argument that would help her remain on a level playing field. With newfound energy, she stood and walked to face him, just out of reach. He smiled at the gesture. "Goblin King, if I have proven anything tonight, it is that I give a new meaning to the word tenacity. I will not be frightened into making a quick decision. If I am to return with you, I have some conditions."

"Sarah, I am offering to save your life. You are in no position to bargain with me." But it was too late. Sarah had already seen the flash of hope that sprung into his eyes before he regained his indifferent expression.

"Ah, but that is where you are wrong, _Your Highness_." She smiled, and the wicked glint in her eye actually caused the great and mighty Jareth to lean away from her… slightly. "You have already divulged that you need me. _Need_ can mean many things to many people. I would rather die a painful death here and now, than live forever as a slave. So, before you 'save my life' I want to know whether that life is worth it."

Jareth recovered from his brief moment of uncertainty quickly. Unfolding his arms, he stood straight, using his height to his full advantage as he focused his sharp gaze deep within Sarah's eyes. She fought the urge to take a step back, refusing to be bullied by this egomaniacal…bully. He did not look angry or even inconvenienced by her question. It seemed as if he were measuring her, trying to determine if she could handle what he would divulge. Her heart beat wildly as she stared into the mismatched eyes of the Goblin King, waiting for his answer and desperately trying not to let any emotion color her face—despite her ability to pretend to be another person on stage, she had never been the best at poker. The traitor within her hoped that he would find her worthy; somehow seeking to have his approval despite everything he had put her through.

When he finally spoke, it was in exasperation. "My kingdom is at war, attempting to protect _your_ world. Every moment I spend trying to convince you of what you know to be the only course of action is one more moment spent away from my responsibilities. If clarifying minor details will make you move quicker, so be it." Jareth arched his eyebrow and smirked in a way that spoke volumes about coddling a toddler. He continued, "For your safety, you will live primarily in the castle in rooms that have already been prepared. I _will_ say that you will not be a slave. You will be free, on condition. You will need to remain within the Goblin Kingdom unless you are with me. For your protection, of course."

War? Sarah bit back the obvious question as to how those bungling idiots that attempted to stop her from entering the castle could ever protect her world in any capacity. There was just too much she did not understand about the place that she was contemplating spending eternity. Instead she focused on just her life. "Define _free_," she said and instantly regretted it. The Goblin King's attractive features stormed over and for a brief moment Sarah feared she had pushed him too far.

He glared at her, obviously attempting to reign in control over his temper. "I do not have time to tutor you in the definition of words. I assure you that the language of the Underground translates to your _American_ English perfectly. Free means _FREE_. As in, I will hold no more control over you than I would any of my other subjects."

…_For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom as great…_

The words formed within her mind automatically strengthening Sarah's backbone. She somehow found the courage to maintain a steady gaze, focusing on his right eye—the one that looked _human_. It was easier to pretend he was just a man when she looked into the blue eye rather than the overly dilated one that appeared to be raw gold in the lighting cast by the lamp near her door. That eye was hypnotic and she needed full wits about her to make sure her demand was met. "I will not be _free_ if I am expected to bow to a king. I will not cower before you as your other subjects do. I come to the Underground as your equal, or I do not come at all." She cringed internally, waiting for his wrath to rain down upon her; however her face remained resolute.

But instead of striking her dead on the spot, something in his expression softened—a little less strain around the corner of his eyes, perhaps. Rather than be further offended by her challenge, he seemed…intrigued. He cocked his head to the left and studied her a moment before responding. "You must submit to my authority—for your own safety—but for all intents and purposes you will be allowed to interact with me on a higher level than my subjects. I would ask that you do not openly defy me when others are present as it would undermine my authority. I will not make you grovel and I will not send you to the bog for insubordination as I know it is virtually impossible for you to be respectful at all times. We shall be as… friends. Are we agreed?"

How did he _do _that? His tone of voice melted her to the core. Though it was impossible to call the Goblin King _kind_, when he spoke to her like that she forgot why she should be angry with him. She forgot that he had nearly killed her 'for her own good.' She forgot that he had attempted to assert his power over her—the power she had removed with her words all those years ago. She forgot everything except the song he sang to her in that ballroom.

_We're choosing the path between the stars._

She had a choice to make. She could continue to see him as a villain or she could begin to see him as a man from another culture who knew next to nothing about women in America. A sexy man. Who was going to save her life. And who asked to be her friend. Well, _said_ they would be friends, but for him that was about as close to asking as she would get.

Sarah couldn't let her heart (and hormones) do the thinking for her in this instance. She turned away, chewing on her lip as she made her way across her room; analyzing every word he had spoken for a hidden trap. He had not claimed them as equals, a fact that had not gone unnoticed.

Suddenly shy, Sarah half-turned to him, her face mostly hidden beneath her curtain of hair, and requested, "Jareth, I will agree to your terms on one condition. I need to hear you say that you consider us equals. I will submit to your authority on matters of the Underground as I don't really know much about your world, and I will do my best to be respectful of you in public, however, if I am to be your friend, then I need to know that we are on equal ground. I do not expect to be a…queen," she hesitated, embarrassed to utter the word, realizing he knew she had once dreamt of that very thing, "and I don't care about having a specific title. I do not ask for your subjects to bow to me, or to have authority in your kingdom. But I would like to be treated as a…traveling dignitary. And I want to hear you say that you consider me your equal."

It was a gamble. He said he needed her. But would the proud Goblin King humble himself to make her his equal?

He hesitated only a moment before responding in a tender voice, "Sarah, you are the equal of any king. You are my equal."

Her heart skipped a beat and she looked away, ashamed by how much his words affected her. After she was certain her face was no longer a rosy hue, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and announced, "Please take me to the Underground. I am ready to go."

The slight glint in his eye was the only indication that the Goblin King gave that he'd won a major victory. Without waiting for a second prompting, Jareth entered her room and took her hands in his. It was then, with the ease in which he broke the invisible barrier without her express permission, that Sarah realized she had made a mistake. When she'd defeated him all those years ago, she had taken away his power over her. In effect, she held all the power in their "relationship". By making her his "equal", she had given him back at least some of that power.

And he was ready to make full use of that.

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**A/N – **I love you. Does that help take the sting out of the cliff hanger/two weeks of no communication? How about cyber flowers…does that help?

So sorry this took longer than I promised, but I have been EXTREMELY busy and falling asleep at the computer every night. But from here on out we will be in the Underground and doesn't that make up for it? And since many of your challenges that I have left to fulfill take place in the Underground, we shall start seeing them now. In fact, (as it stands right now) the opening line of the next chapter is a challenge from someone…

**Thank you again for all your reviews!** I am such a review junkie. Really. I can't get enough. Please send me more!


	11. Chapter 11

**Twists and Turns**

It wasn't so much the glitter, but the amount of it that struck Sarah as overwhelming in the throne room where Jareth deposited them. It was as if he lived in a giant snow globe that was void of any water. Sarah had always considered glitter to be rather girlie, but in typical Goblin King fashion, nothing about his domain could be called anything but masculine.

Goblins of various shapes, sizes, and colors littered the floor and shelves of the vast area making it appear much smaller than it was. There were rather large ones with flat noses and bulging eyes carrying goblets of what she could only assume was ale. Others were chasing chickens or plucking their plumes. There were nearly as many feathers floating in the air as there was glitter. The room felt more like a barnyard than a place for a king—complete with straw and an inch of dirt on every surface. And the smell! You would think Jareth would at least cleanse the goblins that he bogged before allowing them back into his presence.

But as Sarah turned to face the Goblin King, it was obvious that the stench was the furthest thing from his mind. His Majesty stood in the center of the room with an expression on his face that could only be interpreted as jubilant. She hadn't noticed the slight creases around the corner of his eyes and mouth until they suddenly disappeared. The bone weariness that she had never consciously been cognizant of was gone. He looked fresh and full of vitality; practically glowing with rejuvenation.

These minute changes in him caused an immediate physical response. As a young girl he'd opened her eyes to the new world of sensuality, but that was nothing compared to the desire pulling her to him as an adult in his kingdom. It was like comparing a misty morning to a torrential downpour. She was drowning in her sudden urgent _need_ to be near him, to possess his lips in hers, to determine whether they were soft and gentle or hard as stone as his chiseled features led her to believe. Saliva pooled in her mouth as she fought the urge to taste him. She had never found anyone so tantalizing before. It didn't help that the Goblin King—seemingly sensing her acute awareness of his person—was giving her a challenging smirk, encouraging her to throw caution to the wind and go for it. She bit her lip and inhaled—the stench reminding her that there was a room full of goblins probably trying to determine whether or not they should get some popcorn to enjoy the show.

Thankfully her brain wasn't long in catching up to her body. With the realization of the strength of her desire came a new emotion, driving out (or at least pulling alongside) her lust-filled thoughts. "I'm free," she whispered in awe, a wide grin splitting her lips. "Jareth! I'm free! The invisible weight is gone! _I'm_ back!" she yelled as she closed her eyes and began spinning around the room, goblins quickly stepping out of her way—uncertain what to do about this unusual feminine presence in their midst. Their king never showed such unrestraint.

With her eyes closed, she didn't see the chicken beneath her feet, but she sure heard it. The indignant squawk that erupted from the pitiful creature echoed throughout the room like a siren, silencing the overall cacophony that was typical within the castle walls and pulling the undivided attention of every goblin in the vicinity. The squawk also broke Sarah of her reverie. Startled, she opened her eyes to see a group of goblins descending upon her. The murderous looks they were giving her as they began to circle confused her to no end, but she wasn't going to stand around waiting to be eaten. Thinking quickly, she attempted to grab the ruffled chicken that was still underfoot, but having never held a bird before, Sarah didn't know quite what to do. She didn't want to grab near its head in case it might peck at her, so she gently reached for its body, but the hen would have none of that. Sarah began chasing it around in a little circle before she finally gave up being nice and just grabbed it. The now angry chicken flapped its wings in her face, but Sarah held on. Eventually the thing settled down and Sarah caressed its back, soothing its feelings. It was much softer than she'd thought it would be.

Angry goblins watched her escapade with wary eyes. When they finally determined that her intentions were honorable, they resumed their original activities, virtually ignoring the woman in their midst.

Sarah gaped at the Goblin King who had watched the whole fiasco with the greatest indifference. "What was _that_ all about?" she stammered.

Jareth shrugged. "The chickens are a protected species. They wanted to make sure you intended no harm to their precious pets."

"Precious pets!" she parroted in disbelief. "They treat them _horribly_! Look at them!" She pointed to a hairy goblin lounging on the window sill, tossing chickens to the ground below.

Jareth smiled. "Ah, but the chickens like to feel like they are flying."

"And the _plucking_?"

"Removing feathers that have been damaged."

"And the _chasing_?"

"I believe you would call it "tag". Really, Sarah, do you think there would be so many chickens in this room if they didn't like it here?" As he spoke, the king moved to sit in his throne. Or lie down in it. It was hard to tell the difference with him.

Sarah put the chicken down and picked her way carefully across the floor to stand before Jareth. He had pulled out a crystal and was staring intently into it, seemingly oblivious to those around him. She waited there for a minute, but the Goblin King had no inclination to speak. "Um. So…" she clapped her hands in front of her, clasping them and then releasing them in a stretch. Jareth looked up at her, raising his eyebrow. She raised hers right back. "Now what?"

"You are free to go about your business. I will call you should I need you." It was as much of a dismissal as Sarah had ever received.

Sarah's eyes narrowed, but before she could say anything, the goblins began singing a random song about slapping magic babies doing voodoo; it made no sense to her at all really, but it reminded her of something she'd been too preoccupied to think of until that moment. "Toby." Sarah whispered the name under her breath as she stared off into space.

"Pardon?" was Jareth's absent-minded response. He'd returned to viewing his crystal.

Sarah squared off to face him. "I said, _Toby_."

The crystal began dancing across the Goblin King's fingers. "What of him?"

Sarah gritted her teeth in frustration. He knew darn well '_what of him'_! Taking a deep breath, she expelled it slowly, desperate to avoid breaking her promise already—she was determined to be respectful in front of his subjects. "What will happen to him now? He's gotten so attached to you. And what about Marcus, Gabriel and Nathaniel—what will happen to them?"

"Well, I must admit Master Tobias has proved much more useful over the years than I would have thought possible. I will not take away his road to stardom, if that is what you are worried about." He smiled at his own generosity.

Sarah folded her arms across her chest, partially in frustration of his obvious misconstruing of the situation and partially to keep from grabbing the crystal and throwing it across the room in her frustration. She wouldn't have a problem breaking the glass, but she was scared to touch it unbidden less it burn her or turn her into a goblin. Instead she sighed and pretended the Goblin King actually didn't know what she was talking about. "I'm not worried about his _career_. I'm worried about _him_. What will he think has happened to me? And what of your goblins? Are you going to bring them back?"

The ball in Jareth's hand began to move more quickly until it blurred, but Jareth's voice remained bored as if explaining why trees lose their leaves to a child. "Those from your home world will no longer remember you existed. All traces of your life there have been erased. As for _my_ goblins, I feel they have been rehabilitated enough. They shall live out the rest of their mortal lives as humans. All memory of the Underground has been erased save for whatever memory is triggered by 'As the World Falls Down.'"

Sarah opened her mouth to protest—her family would remember _nothing_ of her? How cruel!—but Jareth smirked and steamrolled past her objections, "I know you had been developing _feelings_ for Marcus, but I assure you, had he returned here, he would have transformed into his goblin state and it would have been…awkward for both of you."

Sarah blushed.

"Tobias and his friends have served their purpose admirably. As a result, I have granted them their dreams. They will live out happy lives in the Above.

"What do you mean, _they've served their purpose_. What exactly was their purpose?" Her tone was calm and respectful. Her body language spoke of ripping his head off.

He stopped juggling and sat up. Staring her straight in the eye, he replied, "to get _you here_. It's always been about you. I told you everything I've done has been for you. I _told_ you I needed you. Does it truly surprise you that I would use whatever method at my disposal that would work?"

There it was again. The whole "I need you" routine. It was really starting to get on Sarah's nerves. "WHY! Why do you need _me_ so badly?"

Jareth sent her a warning look that spoke _'do not defy me,'_ but he verbally remained silent. Instead he began studying his crystal once more, conjuring up two additional crystals to twirl absentmindedly in his left hand.

He seemed bored with the conversation, but Sarah was beginning to understand him. The fact that he was juggling his crystals was a clear sign that he was uncomfortable. She pressed her advantage. "You don't know, do you?" Sarah barked out a laugh. "You don't know why you need me. That's why you haven't told me anything. That's rich!" Her anger was manifesting itself as laughter—with absolutely no mirth.

The king wasn't used to being laughed at.

Standing, the Goblin King loomed over Sarah, forcing her to tilt her head up in order to maintain eye contact. The air surrounding the two of them dropped ten degrees by his glare alone, but Sarah stood her ground. Jareth's voice was lowered nearly to a growl when he finally spoke. "Listen carefully for I will say this but one time. The information that I have obtained over the last several _centuries_ cannot be condensed down to a level comprehensible to one who until now was rendered such a short lifespan. Do not question that which you cannot possibly understand."

They stood toe to toe, their faces only inches from each other and for once not a single lust-filled thought entered Sarah's head. There were however some of the murderous variety.

They glared at one another for several moments. Sarah knew he was dodging the question. She also knew she would turn pink and grow gills before he would admit it. The room had gone quite still as goblins prepared to see another creature sent to the Bog of Eternal Stench. Sarah didn't _think_ he would send her to the bog—he'd promised after all—but she didn't want to push her luck.

Exhaling, Sarah took a step back and bit out as respectfully as she could, "I think I will leave you to your work now, _Your Majesty_." The title was spat out as a curse word, but the Goblin King chose not to react. "I will be getting myself acquainted with my new home should you need me." And with that, she turned and walked away without another glance in his direction.

Of course Sarah had no idea where she was going. Her last trip through his castle had been brief to say the least—four minutes was hardly enough time for a formal tour of the place! Her first instinct was to find some where to ride the emotional roller coaster that Jareth just threw out there. Losing everyone she'd ever loved in an instant was a bit of a rough pill to swallow, but if she was ever to find a way to keep her footing around Jareth, she must find out more about where she was and why. There would be time for mourning later...when she was alone. She would not give the Goblin King the satisfaction of watching her cry over her choices.

Meandering her way down the stone hallways was like moving through a mini labyrinth itself (except thankfully these walls did not shift). The passageways were optical illusions, often appearing to carry on endlessly only to throw up an "invisible wall" at the last moment. Sarah found if she tilted her head just right she could see the odd twists and turns and the castle almost began to make sense. Almost.

There were dozens of guest suites, parlors, and meeting rooms. The librar_ies_—plural—were not overtly large, but books covered every ounce of wall space in each. She found one massive ballroom—different than the one in her dream. The walls were made out of gold and she could only imagine how the room must glow when lit. And she found the King's private suites, but a little voice stopped her before she could enter.

"'allo!"

Sarah smiled—she remembered that voice. She searched the wall in the direction the voice had come from and eventually found a little blue worm, complete with spiky blue hair and a little red scarf. "Hello. You're the little worm from the outer walls of the Labyrinth, aren't you?" she asked though she was certain of his response. The little guy would be hard to forget.

"Nah, 'twasn't me. You thinkin' o' me granpappy, Ol' Blue. I'm Shinah. Ah, but I remember you. You' the gal that beat the King. Granpappy always did feel a bit out o' sorts sending ya the wrong way like 'e did. But 'e knew if ya was the gal from the prophecy, ya'd find the way. An' ya did, din't ya?"

Sarah stared at him blankly. "Wait…what? So, you're not the same worm from when I was here last? How do you know who I am? And what prophecy are you talking about?"

The worm actually blushed. "Ah, Gol! There I go again! Openin' me big mouth where it don' belong. Though, I s'pose since ya the one from the prophecy, it won't hurt to tell ya 'bout it. Come inside. Have a nice cup o' tea. We'll talk."

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**A/N **– So, I decided to end here since next chapter is full of information and excitement. I will be honest and say, I was not pleased with this chapter which is part of the reason this took so long to put up (That and not 1, not 2, but THREE vacations in September…yep. Three. All car trips. All with four small children in the back seat and a grumpy husband in the front… but I digress…). I kept hoping if I sat on this for a while I might change it, but nothing jumped out at me to change and I really just wanted to get on with the story so…here you go. I promise a lot more J/S interaction and some action sequences soon!

And, as always, **thank you so much for your reviews!** They really keep me motivated. And, I hope you noticed that I put in a few challenges in this chapter…specifically I answered **startraveller776** and **LadyCavalier**…don't worry, **2SWEETCherry**…your's is coming up soon :-D.

Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

_"'allo!"_

_Sarah smiled—she remembered that voice. She searched the wall in the direction the voice had come from and eventually found a little blue worm, complete with spiky blue hair and a little red scarf. "Hello. You're the little worm from the outer walls of the Labyrinth, aren't you?" she asked though she was certain of his response. The little guy would be hard to forget._

_"Nah, 'twasn't me. You thinkin' o' me granpappy, Ol' Blue. I'm Shinah. Ah, but I remember you. You' the gal that beat the King. Granpappy always did feel a bit out o' sorts sending ya the wrong way like 'e did. But 'e knew if you was the gal from the prophecy, ya'd find the way. An' ya did, din't ya?"_

_Sarah stared at him blankly. "Wait…what? So, you're not the same worm from when I was here last? How do you know who I am? And what prophecy are you talking about?"_

_The worm actually blushed. "Ah, Gol! There I go again! Openin' me big mouth where it don' belong. Though, I s'pose since ya the one from the prophecy, it won't hurt to tell ya 'bout it. Come inside. Have a nice cup o' tea. We'll talk."_

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**Win, Lose, or Draw**

Jareth watched Sarah go with a mixture of detestation and admiration. Always a combination of the two where that girl—that _woman_—was concerned.

The Goblin King had not lied. Those from Above would forget she'd existed. But Jareth had neglected to mention that those who have been in the Labyrinth before _could_ retain their memories should he choose to allow it. She should be pleased with her brother's fortune. She should be glad that he would no longer worry over her. She _should_ be happy to be rid of _Marcus_—after all, she knew the reason he'd become a goblin in the first place.

But Sarah was never easy to please.

He recalled her run through the Labyrinth—one of only a handful of humans who actually attempted to maneuver its ever-changing passages. Knowing the power that pulsated within her, he had given her everything she'd desired—even those things she hadn't known she'd wanted—assuming in the end she'd stay, but alas, even the Giver of Dreams failed where Sarah was concerned. How that galled him!

At least this time she appeared to be able to rein in her temper. Somewhat. That should serve them well in their future relations. Though he would have preferred a more cordial exit…

The noise level in the throne room returned to the steady hum of chaos upon Sarah's departure. Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose and conjured up his riding crop scepter to tap his boot, keeping time as if it were a metronome, forcing himself to concentrate. His kingdom was at war and he could not afford to waste time in banter with an ignorant woman who refused to be thankful to the man who saved her life.

Leaning back in his throne, Jareth began plotting his next course of action. However, without the distraction of Sarah there—without the intoxicating scent of the magic welled up within her deadening the natural aroma of his throne room—the smell became more than he could take.

Grabbing the nearest furball to his throne, the Goblin King hefted him to eye level. "I expect those who have been sent to the bog to _remain_ in the vicinity of the swamp. Do I make myself quite clear?"

"Yessh, Your Majsty!" the little mop croaked out before being tossed aside.

Within minutes, the throne room was vacated by all but a few brave souls (and their chickens). Jareth drew in a breath of relatively clean air as he called up a crystal to check in on the enemy approaching from the south. He had briefly viewed them bumbling through a thicket before Sarah interrupted him, but he had not gotten a clear view as to exactly where they were in that particular part of the maze. Now he knew they had been close to escaping the area and he watched as they broke to rest for the night in a "safe" location. Jareth sneered at their naivety, reveling in another mild triumph for his Labyrinth. The plants in that section drained magic during slumber. It could be regained over time, but hopefully not before a few more were lost to his "games". Knowing magic as they did, the rebels really shouldn't have fallen for such a simple ruse—Sarah would have seen through it immediately.

Jareth frowned as once more his thoughts turned toward the Labyrinth's champion. Confound it! What was it about that blasted woman that got under his skin? She was beautiful, yes, but no more beautiful than those twits who threw themselves at him at the band practice. She was intelligent, but not a genius. She was stubborn, and selfish, and…infuriating! So why did he feel so drawn to her?

It was more than the overpowering scent of lust she unwittingly gave off when near him (although a night of unbridled passion might go a long way to clearing his head…). And it was more than the magic held captive within her, though just thinking about the raw strength she held was invigorating.

The moment Sarah was within the confines of the Underground, Jareth had felt a surge of power. It was pure ecstasy, greater than he'd dared dream. His senses were heightened, his energy renewed. Sarah was more than a breath of fresh air in his kingdom; she was oxygen in solid form. Yet even this was not enough of an answer; he could extract that power as long as she remained within the Labyrinth.

It must be the challenge she presented. He'd never been defeated before. He'd never been _defied_ before. He'd met his match in Sarah and he'd be damned before he let her beat him again. They may be _equals_, but he was still king. And she had given him back his power—in spades.

Allowing thoughts of war to subside for the time being as the rebel soldiers rested, Jareth began plotting for something far more intriguing—full power over Sarah Williams.

He would win this game.

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**)))(((**

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"So…what about the prophecy you mentioned outside?" Sarah finally got around to asking as she took another bite of the most scrumptious cookies she'd ever eaten. Crumbs fell to her lap and she quickly brushed them off into her napkin lest they accidentally fall on "The Missus'" impeccably clean floor. The Missus turned out to be a lovely pink worm named Lara who promptly began fussing over her "untidy" room the moment Sarah stepped through the wall.

To her surprise, the entire section of wall had opened upon Shiner's command, showing a simple room set up for human-sized guests complete with a round breakfast table, porcelain tea pot and cups. Several circular tunnels littered the stone walls and floors and Sarah guessed these were the worms' more private chambers. It was a cozy corner of the castle, with little pink flowers in little blue vases on dozens of stone outcroppings; and despite the constant litter of dust from the stonework, it was immaculate—most definitely not what she'd expected a worm's abode to be like.

Since entering their home, Sarah had learned quite a bit about the worms in the Labyrinth. She'd learned that "her" blue worm had died five years ago at the ripe old age of 15. Shiner was quite impressed by his grandpappy's longevity and hoped he could at least make it to 12, at which point Lara admonished him that he'd better live that long or_ "I will have words with the keeper of the afterlife!" _Her English was very proper indeed, and Sarah got the impression that she might be "slummin' it" when she married Shiner, but the evident love between the two worms was worthy of any good romantic comedy.

It was fascinating to hear of the worm's comprehensive memory. Shiner explained that each worm was given all the memories of all the worms from his father's line at birth as clearly as if they were his own, but only retained those that were essential to his personal gift. Some worms were chefs, some were artists, some storytellers or historians, etc. Shiner, as it turned out, was a prophet—like his grandpappy. Sarah didn't quite understand how it all worked (though he'd spent nearly an hour explaining it to her in great detail), but apparently prophets were only born during the time when a prophecy would be fulfilled. Hence the reason his grandpappy knew Sarah was the one foretold—she was the only runner he'd ever met.

But worms are not actually given the gift of Sight. That is left for those wisemen (and women) and their hats. In fact, it is the reason the wiseman from her run had worn the annoying thing in the first place. It is the hat's job to listen when the wiseman doses off in case a prophecy should be uttered in his or her slumber. However, if a worm should happen to be nearby (and they most always are), they too will retain the information.

However, he had yet to actually _tell _her the prophecy…and her patience was running thin.

"Ah…well…that ya see is a mite tricky." Shiner cleared his throat (which was surprisingly loud given his minute size). He looked around as if hoping Lara would come back out of the kitchen where she'd disappeared some time earlier, but telepathy was not his strong suit. He forged on. "Yes, well, ya see that is supposed to be kept secret (there are rules, ya see), but seein' as it affects you personally, I s'pose it'll be all right…'specially seein' as there's a war goin' on outside an' all. It may 'elp 'is Majesty in the long run."

The war. In all the excitement Sarah had almost forgotten the war—the one argument that had sealed the deal, so to speak, for her to return and Sarah had nearly forgotten it. She could almost sympathize with Jareth. Almost. She understood his need to do whatever he could to save his kingdom—_her_ friends. That didn't make the act of ripping Sarah out of her family's memory hurt less, but it did give a reason for his cruelty.

Oblivious to her inner struggle, the worm sat up straighter (which in this case meant rising so only the last four body segments rested on the table where Sarah sat) and began speaking in his most hoity-toity proper English accent,

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"_From Above a female calls_

_The Goblin King by name,_

_The power held within his grasp_

_Far more than one man can tame."_

_.  
><em>

"How can you be so certain this prophecy is alluding to me? Surely I am not the only one to call upon the Goblin King," Sarah challenged.

"Ah, but ya see, Miss, you are. Not many out there think of goblins as _nice_. Even those who 'ate their charges wish them to some demon or other, but never the goblins. 'is Majesty answers all their requests, but none o' them asked for 'im by name. 'Till you come along, that is."

Sarah blushed. Nathaniel had said something similar and it made her feel all the more horrible hearing the worm repeat it. They must think she was really awful if she could wish her only brother off to _goblins_. Of course, she hadn't been turned into a goblin—she'd gotten Toby back—that had to be a point in her favor.

The words of the prophecy turned somersaults in Sarah's mind. If she _was_truly the first female to call upon the Goblin King, then that meant she held some sort of power. That lying bastard! The "magic" that was draining from Sarah was her own power—that he wanted to steal!

Sarah took a calming breath so that the worms would not realize she was angry. She was afraid if they thought she wanted to harm the king they wouldn't answer any more questions. And at this moment, she _really_ wanted to harm the king. For some reason, despite how poorly he treated his subjects, they all appeared to be fiercely loyal to their king; even when helping her, she sensed that they only did so because they had determined she held no vicious intent.

She spoke softly, as if merely thinking out loud. "So that's it, huh? The reason he wants me here is so he could get some more power? But I spoke the magic words. How can he take my power now? He has no power over me."

"Shhh!" The worm practically jumped in his rush to get her quiet—quite a feat with no legs. "Don't say those words. Never say _those_ words. 'e'll 'ear you!"

"But it's the truth. And they've been said before. As Jareth is so fond of saying, 'What's said, is said'," Sarah argued, using her best Goblin King impersonation. It was quite good.

"'at s'right. You go on sayin' those words. Draw 'is attention. See 'ow long we 'ave to talk about the _second_ prophecy in private." Shiner leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "The one 'e don't know about."

Sarah's eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean, he doesn't know? How could he not know?"

Certain that Sarah was no longer eager to shout the magic words, Shiner began crawling back to his original spot on the table. " 'e don't know because the prophecy wasn't for 'im. It was for you." Calling back over his shoulder as he moved, he explained, "Over a 'undred years ago, one of my ancestors 'appened to be buildin' a new tunnel when Fenucia the wise shouted out a particularly strong vision. Since no one was there to over'ear it (she left 'er little bird 'at in the other room for some reason only the two of 'em knew) and my great, great, great (you get the idea) grandpappy promptly forgot it (not 'aving the gift of prophecy, ya see), no one knew it 'ad been spoken—including 'is Majesty. And as it only indirectly pertained to 'im, I'm under no obligation to share it unless asked directly as per the prophetic laws.

"A few years back, 'is Majesty _did _ask if any worms knew of any prophecies concerning the Labyrinth's champion, but 'is timing was off. 'e asked after the passing of grandpappy, but before _my_ birth (he always forgets the relatively short lifespans of the worms…what with our comprehensive memories and all).

Sarah felt like she was back in grade school and one of the little boys was singsonging, "guess who has a secret!" Now, when it comes to secrets, there are three kinds of people: those who refuse to hear any kind of gossip, those who reluctantly listen so they can see if there is a way to help, and those who eagerly await a new secret as if ripping open presents on Christmas morning. Sarah fell into the latter category when the secret pertained to her. Good, bad, or ugly, Sarah wanted to know any information that had to do with her. And a prophecy was like a very accurate fortune teller. She couldn't wait!

The worm smiled a bit, recognizing her eagerness, but he didn't comment on it. He simply cleared his throat again and began speaking clearly, yet quietly so no one could overhear.

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"_The Champion has lost her way_

_No laughter, fear, or sorrow_

'_Till brought beneath the King's stronghold_

_His power hers to borrow."_

_.  
><em>

A smile slowly appeared on Sarah's lips. Two could play at the Goblin King's game, and Sarah intended to remain undefeated.

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**A/N**: So, no excuses as to the delay in this chapter. It's what you get when you have a busy perfectionist, who never actually does anything perfect, but always tries her best…sometimes trying my best takes a VERY long time.

On a side note: to anyone who has challenged me in the past, I think I am caught up…if I missed you, can you please let me know? It's the whole "perfectionist" thing peeking through you know…

**Oooh and reviews!** I love them! **Amelia**gets to be called out special because, well, she left me a really nice review, but she did it without her account so…much love to you! Thank you so much for your kind words!

Also, I would be remiss not to mention "**Anonymous**" who also left me a lovely review. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a note. I do hope you liked my Shiner!

And finally, **tea rose dreams**, who actually did sign in for the review, but alas, has no way to PM…sad, I know. Tea rose, I must say that your review made me smile—first and foremost because I love getting nice reviews, so thank you!—but second, because you felt trouble "brewing" and your penname is "tea" :-D. I'm not sure if you did that on purpose or not, but it is just my kind of sense of humor. :-D

**Now, to everyone else who reviewed**: You are amazing and wonderful and you make me happy. I know I already responded to you, but you deserve another thanks altogether soooo… **Thank you**: **moira hawthorne, SnigePippi **(don't you just love that name?), **2SWEETCherry, jujulr, Selena.t, tomoe-gozen52, artseblis, **and** startraveller776**

**.**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!**

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><strong>P.S. Reviews make a GREAT Christmas present...**  
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	13. Chapter 13

_**Quick Recap**_

_Sarah has spent the last 15 years slowly fading away because of a lack of magic. The need culminated with Jareth having removed all magic from her grasp, thus necessitating her return to the Underground. Once there, she learned she would no longer exist in her family's memories, thus prompting her to seek out some "alone time." During her search of the castle, Sarah encountered Shiner who is the grandson of the little blue worm. He related to her a couple of prophecies that he believed she fulfilled. Oh…and there is a group of rebels attacking the Labyrinth. And goblins become goblins because they choose not to run the labyrinth for the wished aways._

_I think that covers everything…_

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**Demons and Angels**

Sarah meandered her way down the castle hallways. It was well past her bedtime and the emotional journey she had been on after years of _nothing_ was causing her great fatigue. "Oh! I should have just accepted Shiner's offer!" she grumbled to herself. The heavier her eyelids became, the less her internal dialogue stayed where it belonged.

Shortly after Shiner relayed his prophecy, he had jumped up in astonishment. _"Blimey! Would ya look at the time! You best be 'eadin' off to your room now. Wouldn't want ya wanderin' the 'alls in the dark now, would we?" _ Of course he had insisted that he be allowed to walk Sarah to her room, but she'd refused. She hadn't wanted to move at a worm's pace and it hadn't occurred to her at the time that she had no idea which room was hers.

It was only later that she realized she could have carried him.

Mentally kicking herself once more, Sarah turned down another unending corridor ...and immediately slammed her toe into a rather large piece of stone. "Stupid rock!" She yelled as she threw it down the hallway, not caring if anything broke. Leaning against the wall, Sarah picked up her foot and began massaging her toe through the front of her sandals, muttering under her breath as she felt for blood. "Stupid king with his _stupid_ confusing castle. He probably magicked that rock there on purpose! If his hallways were even _half_ as disgusting as his throne room I'd have been looking for it, but nooo! I had to run into the _one_ loose stone in the whole place. Who _does _that, anyway? Who cleans everything, but the one place they bring guests?"

"Yes, well we can't have chickens running loose in the castle—we'd never find the eggs."

Sarah should have been used to Jareth's propensity to suddenly materialize out of thin air by that time, but exhaustion tends to make one a bit jumpy. Which is precisely what happened: Sarah jumped. On one foot. And fell to the ground in a very undignified heap, adding a sore rear end to her lengthening list of physical and mental complaints.

Surprisingly the mocking laugh that she anticipated hearing never came. Sarah glared at the floor, knowing his face contained that infuriating smirk; she refused to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging it. What she wasn't expecting was the gloved hand that came into her view. Startled, she looked up to find that she was wrong: Jareth wasn't even smiling. Oh sure, his eyes twinkled with their customary mischief, but he did a good job of forcing a blank expression upon his handsome face. In fact, he looked almost uncertain. A peace offering perhaps?

Unsure of the game he was playing, but refusing to give him the upper hand by being seen as ungrateful; Sarah took his palm in hers and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Brushing off the seat of her jeans, she quickly stepped away. "Well, you certainly know how to make an entrance," she quipped. "Is there something you want, or do you just like to scare poor women half to death at every opportunity?"

The twinkle in his eyes became more pronounced as he bowed with a flourish. "As a matter of fact, I am here to help you. It appears as if you've gotten yourself lost. Would you care for some assistance?"

Sarah tilted her head and studied her host to make sure she wasn't seeing an illusion. He sure looked an awful lot like the Goblin King, but she had yet to witness this particular side of him. She wasn't sure she liked a gallant Jareth…it just wasn't quite _him. _It was like traveling down a beautiful jungle trail, expecting a jaguar to jump out at any moment. He was far too clever to be trusted fully. However, the passageway was dimly lit, to say the least, and she could feel fear rising to the surface. It donned on her that she'd never been in the Labyrinth, or its castle, after dark. Given the reason the goblins were turned into _goblins_, it might be safer to be escorted by their ruler. She doubted he would go through all the trouble of saving her merely to allow her to be attacked in his own castle—he was much more subtle.

"Yes, Jareth, some assistance would be very welcome. How do I get to my room?" Sarah asked as civilly as possible. She was able to use good manners upon occasion.

Jareth straightened and offered his arm in response. After only a slight hesitation, Sarah placed her hand in the crook of his elbow and fell in step with the king as he began to move through the strange twists and turns of the castle hallways. Although she was careful to maintain a safe "no contact" zone, Sarah found herself occasionally tripping over carpet runners or rocks more often than mere chance would allow, causing her to lean heavily upon her escort. The slight movement at the corner of his lips confirmed her suspicions that she wasn't quite as clumsy as appearances would have her believe.

Sarah was reminded of the havoc her pent up emotions could cause. Right now they were thoroughly in confusion. Aside from the frustration over her inability to sidestep the obstacles Jareth placed in her path, she had to continually fight back the anger from their argument earlier; now was not the time to engage in a battle of wills. Her exhaustion made the depression of never seeing Toby again more acute. She was thoroughly alone here, without even Hoggle to call upon after she had deserted him so many years before. It made her want to weep openly. However, added to her more negative feelings, were emotions that were even more difficult to fight.

The information Shiner had passed on to her made the man beside her a curiosity. And with that there was the ever-present war with lust that she could never fully escape no matter how much she disliked the object of her ogling. She kept her mouth firmly shut—too afraid to even _think_ lest her internal monologue become an external assessment of his assets. There was no denying his overt sexuality. As he sauntered down the hallway, she was unable to ignore how her hormones screamed, "take me, I'm yours!" even as her mind felt repulsed by his utter arrogance. It added a whole new level of frustration.

Thankfully the test of her self-control was short-lived. Three turns later, Jareth came to a stop outside a darkened alcove and announced, "These will be your rooms for the duration of your stay in the castle. They are protected so that only you and those that are specifically invited by you may enter." He leered down at her as if could sense her lascivious thoughts. She didn't give him the pleasure of a blush. Folding her arms across her chest, Sarah raised her right brow and smirked in a silent question of his manliness, which wiped the smile right off his face. He continued almost bitterly, "Should you again feel the need to traverse my hallways…take a map."

And with that bit of civility, he disappeared, leaving Sarah alone facing a thick wooden door. The haphazard lines carved into the surface were reminiscent of a black widow's web; erratic, with no apparent design. She was studying the detail, trying to determine if there was a pattern and postponing the inevitable entrance to her _rooms_—plural—when Jareth's disembodied voice tickled the base of her neck. "Oh, and Sarah…one more thing. Try not to be caught out in the passageways at night without an escort. The less _friendly_ goblins appear after dark."

Remembering her thoughts from earlier, the pattern on her door was suddenly all too clear and Sarah pushed her way inside. Slamming the door behind her merely dampened the monarch's laughter as it faded into oblivion.

Ugh! That man infuriated her! She pounded her palms into the back of the door for good measure, the splinter she received in the process focusing her energy. Thankfully it was large enough to pull out without tweezers. As she worked on it she turned to survey her new living space.

The room, which she had to assume was her living room, was relatively large. The polished stone walls were lined with plain, lit candelabras around four different doors, around each window (of which there were also four), and around the large fireplace that, in its unlit state, was reminiscent of yet another door. Covering much of the floor was a plush red carpet. This was easy to see as it was the only thing in the room. There were no curtains, no shutters (or glass for that matter) to keep out the chill, and no furniture.

Sarah quickly opened door number one which led to an empty hall closet. Door number two led to another empty room lined with bookshelves, devoid of all books. Door number three contained a bathroom with relatively modern plumbing: a sink with a hand pump and a pull chain shower and toilet—with no toilet paper. Slamming the bathroom door, she moved to the final room. This room had to be her bedroom. It had candelabras on each of the walls, a large walk-in closet, and a fireplace, but aside from another plush, red carpet, it was completely empty.

She didn't even try to restrain herself. "JARETH! I know you can hear me! Get in here! _NOW_!"

He appeared within seconds, lounging on her windowsill as if he'd been there the entire time. The slight curve of his lips told her he knew exactly why she was furious and was enjoying every minute of it. "Well, well, well, Sarah. I never would have thought you would invite me into your bedroom so soon. What a lovely surprise."

"Cut the crap, Jareth. I am exhausted. Where am I supposed to sleep? You knew I didn't have anything!"

Jareth brushed his gloved hand in the air as if batting away her concern. "I would not dare to presume to find furniture for you. Women like to have everything their own way…or so I've been told."

Sarah's glare sharpened to a razor's edge and she opened her mouth to tell him all sorts of wonderful things he could do with his fake feminism, but stopped. Her mouth clicked shut as she took in his barely concealed amusement. Her discomfort was clearly entertaining him. If she could calm down, perhaps he would relent a little.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah once again attempted to remember her acting skills. She even smiled…sort of. "Jareth, I would appreciate it if you would be willing to loan me a bed until I can get my own. And some toilet paper," she added quickly. Better to get the essentials out of the way. She increased her smile—showing some teeth. "Please."

Jareth pushed off from the window sill to stand. "Oh, so the lady has manners." His countenance darkened as he crossed the room, stopping within inches of her and wiping the fake grin right off her face. There he stood, radiating authority, his eyes wavering back and forth as he stared into the depths of Sarah's soul. Her breath caught as she fell under his scrutiny, but Sarah held her ground, returning his gaze with calm assurance, refusing to take a step back no matter how badly her wobbly knees begged. "How charming," he added as he turned his back on her, the sarcasm marring his tone clearly stating that he felt it was anything but charming; whether the remark was meant as a subtle attack against her manners or her person remained to be seen.

A fire sprung up as he moved to lean against the mantle of the fireplace. The Goblin King gazed into the flames for a moment, alternately being cast as a demon and an angel as the light flickered upon his chiseled features in the ever-darkening room. Sarah couldn't help but feel the fire showed his dual nature more than anything had before. Finally Jareth spoke, his eyes never leaving the multi-hued source of warmth. "You presume a lot of me, Sarah. I am not your _slave_ to be at your beck and call." She felt the intended slap bitterly, remembering his words from years earlier when he had promised to be just that—if only to win a game.

He turned to face her and she opened her mouth to respond, but he held up a hand to forestall the words from coming from her lips. "You would do well to remember whom you are dealing with." He tossed a crystal at her. Without thinking, she opened her hands to catch the glass bubble and as it popped upon her fingertips, Jareth disappeared.

Sarah threw up her hands in frustration and took a step backward. Her leg hit something solid and she fell…onto a soft mattress. Looking around she was amazed to see all of her bedroom furniture from her Aboveground abode had been transported within the stone walls—complete with curtains and glass for the windows. Granted, this space was much larger than her previous bedroom had been so the room still appeared fairly empty, but it definitely felt more like home.

Utterly worn out from the day's events, Sarah could not even muster the energy to change into more comfortable sleeping attire. She was much too tired to think of all that had occurred throughout that day; too tired to dwell on Toby, prophecies, or magic, and much too tired to ponder Jareth's words of warning.

She only hoped he had made good on the toilet paper.

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**A/N – **There we have it: the long awaited next chapter. Will I ever stop being overcritical of my work? I doubt it…and I hope not. Unfortunately, it just means that when life gets busy, FF has to wait . I truly do apologize for taking so long. It was never intended. I cannot believe how much time has flown by since my last update! All my free time has been spent…well, sleeping. And proofreading papers for my husband… (He got 100% on all of them. He did say he would be adding my name to the diploma—well, at least HALF of my name…my last name. I am learning a lot about different counseling methods in the meantime however…)

Truly, **THANK YOU** for all the fantastic reviews. You cannot possibly know how much they mean to me. Every time I get one, I write. Really. I just usually throw away five or six rough drafts and begin again. So, please keep the reviews coming. They are a wonderful source of encouragement to me. Plus, they are like coffee…giving me energy when I really should be sleeping!

Oh, and I do have one more chapter almost ready for this fic. It is not a Jareth/Sarah chapter, but it moves the plot along smoothly (I think). I must give it another read-through (or five) before I post it though, but hopefully it will be up in a few days? Thank you for staying with me! I will see this to the end...I promise!


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